


Star Gate Atlantis : Wraith The Smallest Hive

by The_Flyattractor



Series: Stargate: Wraiths Smallest Hive [1]
Category: SGA Wraith Story, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29137305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Flyattractor/pseuds/The_Flyattractor
Summary: Story about a Group of Wraith fighting for Survival against a New Enemy to the Pegasus Galaxy
Series: Stargate: Wraiths Smallest Hive [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138352
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Wraiths  
The Smallest Hive  
Alone  
Alone and in the dark it drifted.  
On the far edge of the Pegasus Galaxy, the Wraith Hive ship silently sailed backlight eerily from the green glow of the vast sea of stars of the galaxy, and on the other the black eternity of the void that separated the galaxies.  
The Hive cruised at the extreme limits of the edge being held on its course by what little gravity Pegasus extorted on it. No lights shone from its great hull. No fire burned in its engines. The ship gave no clue as to where it had come from but to see the surface it wasn't hard to tell that it had been a difficult journey.  
Burns cracks, and scars covered it from bow to stern.  
It looked less like a living vessel than an aged and decaying  
carcass that was adrift in a sea of stars. Inside the great vessel, the darkness was even greater than that of the void outside. In all the labyrinth of corridors and chambers of the hive, no movement or life of any kind was evident in what could have been as little as a few months to that of the millennium.  
When the pinhead of red light went off on one of the consoles it was like crimson lightning in a bottle.  
When the darkness took over the room again it was so solid that it would have been easy to forget that the light had even gone off if anyone had been there to see it, but the Ship had seen it and It knew what It had to do. The rumble started slowly but built-up speed like a wave. What started as a small treble soon turned into an avalanche. The Hive fought to wake up. The pain that burned thru the Hive was intense, but It knew what it had to do. Internal systems long-dormant snapped and cracked like brittle leaves as they came back to life as power started to seep thru them. The pain increased but the Hive knew what it had to do. The life support started to slowly breathe the atmosphere back into the halls like an asthmatic taking a breath. Mist started to fill up small sections of the hive. Doors slammed shut like an ax hitting a tree as the Hive struggled to keep the precious air from being ripped away by the all-powerful vacuum of space. The pain continued to burn away at the Hive but still, it knew what it had to do.  
In the Control Centre of the hive, the red light was again slashing in the near darkness but now it was no longer alone. Several dozen other lights on the other consoles were  
weakly coming to life. On the main screen information in the wraith symbols slowly tracked up and down the screen.  
Power to the systems strained thru the Hives weakened structure as it struggled to maintain even this low level of awareness. The red light continued to send its warning.  
Now with the atmosphere returned to the interior of the Hive the deep resounding thud could be heard that accompanied the blinking of the ominous red light.  
The Hive rumbled again. The lights on the consoles waned nearly to the point of going out before restoring to the dim level they had achieved just seconds earlier. It had been too long and the damage too severe. The Hive would have to hurry it wouldn't be able to maintain this level of activity for long. It knew what it had to do. It knew what it had to protect.  
Down in the very bowels of the hive in a large chamber lights and a breathable mist slowly filled the large area.  
The chamber was vast. It was made up mostly of large sunken pits filled with a dark purple viscous liquid.  
Large bone and vein-like pipes and conduits fed in and out of the pits and led off into the depths of the hive.  
One of the larger pits became the center of the Hive's attention. The lights in the chamber dimmed even more.  
The Hive once again started to quake. More subdued than before but this time more sustained in duration. After a few minutes, the shaking ceased. All but a few of the chambers' sources of light were still giving out any illumination at all.  
Suddenly the air in the chamber around the pits sparked.  
More sparks started to go off all around the illuminated pit.  
Then just as suddenly as they started, the sparks in the air ceased.  
WHAM!  
A bolt of almost pure red lightning shot out from somewhere in the upper part of the chamber and struck the center of the pit. 2 more times this happened. All the lights in the chamber once more went out sending the pit into almost total darkness again. A slight purple glow was coming from the now energized ooze in the pit. The substance boiled and smoked as it sparked and fizzed.  
After a few minutes, the pit cooled and settled down once more to appear almost as it had before. Only the purple glow remained but half as strong. In the center of the pit, a few bubbles hit the surface and then nothing.  
Then almost as suddenly as when the energy bolt hit the pit a pale green-tinted hand suddenly erupted from the center.  
The long, clawed fingers clenched vehemently at the air.  
And in the center of the hand, a vicious toothed slit snapped greedily as if to suck the very life out of the world it had just erupted into.  
To be continued.


	2. Stargate Atlantis : Wraith The Smallest Hive Pt 2

Wraiths  
The Smallest Hive  
Chapter 2  
The Hive trembled one last time. Not as violent as the others had been but more like a person trying to clear their head after working too hard and for too long.  
The pain that the Hive had endured would have been enough to drive any other creature mad but the reasons for why the Hive had endured what it had just done and for why it being mad may be a moot point, but the Hive had done what needed to be done sanely or otherwise.  
Now it could rest again. It began by shutting down almost all the systems it had struggled so hard to activate.  
It would leave only enough online for those that it had awoken to take over the task that the Hive had been charged with for so long. Of course, they could hardly be any ones first choice for a mission as important as this but then, what was that old wraith saying? When hunger burns like fire the first human will always do? It was something like that, but it didn't really matter. The hive had done what it needed to do and that was all that mattered the Hive thought to itself as what passed for its consciousness once more slipped back into darkness.  
Just as the Hive was going back to sleep, others were just emerging from their long-enforced hibernation.  
The hand that had only moments ago emerged from the pit was now followed by ahead. Covered in the ooze the head slowly swiveled back and forth to take in its surroundings. For a few seconds, it was near-blind in the almost complete darkness but that was an easily remedied problem. Blinking a few times its eyes took on a yellowish-green glow. Now the wraith could see perfectly. Reaching up with one hand to grasp the edge of the pit the Wraith effortlessly began to pull itself out. When it was almost halfway out it stopped and looked back. Around its waist were the arms of another wraith. The Female bared her teeth and hissed before she delivered a vicious backhanded blow to the other wraiths head which sent it back into the center of the pit. Now free of that entanglement she bounded up out of the pit with little effort. Landing on her feet she stopped and looked around the chamber as she tried to recall what had happened prior to her imprisonment in the pit.  
*Uh, what happened? * asked the male wraith as he floated spread-eagled atop the surface of the liquid in the pit.  
*Get Up! * The Female ordered him harshly.  
The male just nodded silently and then rolled over and began to swim his way to the edge of the pit.  
To be honest the female was wondering the same thing.  
Shaking her head to clear more of the ooze from herself which was drying and flaking off and not leaving any trace of itself very quickly, she continued to use her powerful night vision to stare around the pit chamber trying to jog her fogged memory. She was about 6 and a half feet tall, and her lithe and athletic form rippled with strength and predatory prowess. She was dressed in a thin white dress that clung to her like an intricately woven web. It was styled like a medieval garment that showed off her more prominent female assets. Around her waist was a green metallic chain to which was attached a small scabbard that housed a curved jewel-encrusted dagger that she was quite proficient in using. On her legs, she wore dark leather thigh-high stiletto boots which were covered in long binding straps and buckles. She also wore a jacket made of the same material as her boots. Her dark black hair with natural green high lights hung long and straight to the middle of her back.  
The male had by now clumsily pulled himself over the edge of the pit and was meekly standing a meter behind her in a slightly bowed and respectful or fearful manner. He was shorter than her by almost 5 inches. His garb was far less elegant than hers. Also made of black leather-like material it was thicker and sturdier. Around his waist, he wore a belt with many pouches and strange tools attached to it. His boots were large and cumbersome. All over his body were strapped many tools and instruments. His long unkempt white hair was almost down to his waist and it also had small bits of metal and tools tied in it where they were readily available. Over his eyes, he wore a pair of goggles that appeared to be made of an organic-like material. On the lens’s wraith text could be seen to scroll across them. Over his right ear was an odd insect-like device. Its "legs" were firmly attached to the side of his head and it had 2 little antennae sticking out which twitched back and forth as they feed information to the goggles.  
Unlike other wraiths, he wore fingerless gloves on his hands. Like others, he also had the finger device used in feeding, but he had other devices attached to all his other fingers.  
The female stopped looking around the chamber and turned to face the male.  
*What is going on? * She asked. *I cannot sense any of the others. *  
A few seconds went by and he didn't reply.  
Her anger starting to rise, she once again bared her grey shark-like teeth and him and hissed.  
This got his attention. He raised his head to look at her, but his hands continued to push buttons on the devices he wore and over the "bug" on his head.  
*Um, uh, err yes, I mean no, no I can't sense any of them either, or am I not getting any telemetry from the Hive. *  
He stuttered nervously.  
*What could have happened, and why can I not remember anything? * She asked herself. Not realizing that she wasn't addressing him directly he did his best to answer her.  
*Pro, prolonged hibernation has been known to cause temporary memory loss and since we were submerged in the preservative fluid, I would think we were not intentionally placed there to hibernate, and I can't remember either but if I can access the hive's memory bank, I might be able to find out wha, what happened. * He said nervously. He was trying awfully hard to supply her with all the information he could. Not that being helpful was his main goal rather than annoying a female could be very detritus to one’s state of wellbeing.  
*Then we will make our way to the command bride now. *  
She said and started to turn to make her way when both were stopped. Another form was starting to rise from the pit. Like a leviathan coming up from the depths, The Warrior climbed out of the pit to stand next to the other two. Towering above them he was nearly 8 feet tall.  
Even for a warrior drone, he was massive. Looking no different than any of his masked and armored warriors the only distinguishing thing about him was the vivid green symbol in wraith that was stenciled over the face of his gruesome mask. Looking down at the other 2 wraiths he cocked his head to one side and simply stared at them waiting for orders.  
The power of his mere presence was enough to even give The Female a momentary pause as she took in the daunting giant. She quickly regained her imperial domineer and ordered them to follow her and with that, she turned and headed for the exit of the pit chamber. The smaller male quickly fell into step behind her, but the Warrior hesitated for a second before he also began to follow them.  
As the trio made their way thru the hives twisting and curving corridors it was becoming very apparent that there was something very, very wrong. Even under normal circumstances, the lighting in a hive was exceptionally low but the farther into the hive they traveled into the more active parts it should have been better illuminated than the ever-present darkness that continued to surround them. Several doors they came to either wouldn't open or be left wide open to equally dark and empty chambers. None of the transportation scoops used to shorten travel thru the hive was operating. They came across no functioning work stations. Even the atmosphere they were breathing had an unfinished tang to it. And it was far thinner than it should have been. And still, they couldn't sense any other wraith on the hive. They hadn't even come across any remains of any dead which one could almost expect to find as all most all the corridors they traversed showed some signs of what appeared to almost be battle damage.  
Explosions and fires of varying degree were evident everywhere.  
Not knowing what to make of this they continued to traverse the several miles till they reached the bridge in silence. As they continued the Female suddenly turned and looked behind her. The warrior was gone.  
*Where is he? * She asked bluntly.  
*What? * the other male asked not realizing what she was talking about. Jerking his head around he quickly took notice of the Warriors absence.  
*Oh he has probably gone to check on his pets. * he said.  
*His pets? * she asked slightly flustered.  
*Yes, he keeps pets. It is a habit he acquired some centuries ago I don't really know why but he seems to enjoy it. * the male answered matter of fact.  
The female tried to ponder this but decided that her efforts were better put to concentrating on getting the answers at the bridge then the strange quirks of her companions.  
As they continued to the Hive’s bridge, the warrior was indeed checking on his pets. Standing in a small side chamber in front of a row of small hibernation chambers he pushed the buttons to open it up. Nothing happened. He pushed the control again. Nothing.  
Silently the warrior reached out and simply pulled the door off the small chamber. Tossing it aside the warrior looked inside. He was not happy with what he found.  
Inside were the remains of a half dozen small forms.  
All long dead. Apparently, the power and chemical feed had been cut off from it for quite some time. None of this was going thru the warrior’s mind as he tenderly reached inside and took the remains of one of the creatures in his large hands. The multi legged insect crumbled to dust despite his gentle handling. It was the same with the others. Nothing remained but dust, dust, and memories.  
The warrior simply continued to stand there and stare into the small chamber.  
The other 2 wraith by now had finally reached the command bridge.  
Like the rest of the hive, it too was void of life.  
They stood side by side staring into bridge. The female turned her head slightly and glared at the male. After a few seconds he realized this and quickly made his way over to one of the side consoles. As he was attempting to gain access to the hives memory banks the female began to walk around the control room. She made her way over to a large bench that was at the rear of the chamber. She walked up to it and looked at it with greed all but pouring out of her eyes. She turned and slowly lowered herself down onto the bench. A smile slowly spread across her face. She looked up at the command chamber and the smile got even larger.  
It is mine. She said aloud. The first words she had uttered since awakening.  
Clenching at the sudden sound the male quickly turned around and looked at her.  
Did you say something? He asked saying it out loud.  
Yes. I said that it is mine. She all but jumped up as she said it.  
What is yours? He asked.  
This hive now belongs to me. This hive and all aboard it are now MINE! She said proudly.  
But how can it be yours? He asked seemingly not following her line of reasoning.  
Since we have awoken, we have not seen another wraith aboard. Not the queen. Not a commander. Not even a low level clever-man or blade. They are all dead so that makes it MINE!  
But we don't know that they are dead. They may have abandoned the ship or.. He started to say but she cut him off by thrusting her hand out and attempting to take telepathic control of him. A normal queen would have made him into a puppet almost instantly but all that happened was he took a few steps backwards as if a large wave had just rolled over him. He simple stood there dumbfounded by the fact that his mind hadn't been turned to mush by now.  
Aaarrgghh! She growled as she curled her outstretched hand into a fist. I am the Queen of this hive now and you will OBEY ME! She bellowed and slammed her fist down on the arm of the bench. Hitting it with such force that it caused one of the legs on the bench to shatter like glass sending the bench toppling over and her to land in an undignified heap on the floor.  
The male didn't know if he should rush to help her up or just run from the chamber as fast as he could so instead, he just stood there in a near state of panic and confusion.  
He was far too low in ranking to have to be dealing with this kind of situation. By now the female had gotten to her feet and was quickly bearing down on him. Pulling her dagger from its scabbard she simply held it up under his chin.  
He realized that she had just made her point most efficiently.  
I am yours to command. He said as obligingly as he could.  
She replaced her dagger into its scabbard and turned to make her way to the center of the room.  
*Have you managed to access the hives memory yet? * She asked going back into the more traditional form telepathic style of communication.  
*Huh oh yes um very nearly yes. * He stammered as he rushed back over to the side console. After a few minutes of working at the console and linking his "bug" device into console he finally seemed to make some progress.  
He turned to her and began his report.  
*It appears that almost every system, but minimal life support and internal gravity is offline. Including weapons, internal and external sensors. * He stated.  
She didn't like that sound of that at all.  
*I have also been unable to access anything in the memory any further back than a few hours before we were awoken and the reason the hive did revive us is because there is a vessel of unknown origin approaching. *  
*Are you sure that is correct? * She asked secretly hoping that it wasn't. He turned back to the console and rechecked the information he had just managed to pull from it.  
*No. I interpreted the information wrong. * He added sheepishly. He wasn't used to having to interface with the hive's higher functions like this.  
The female relaxed a little at this slightly good news.  
*There are several vessels of unknown origin and they are now right outside the hive. * He said.   
To be continued.


	3. Stargate Atlantis : Wraith The Smallest Hive Pt 3

Wraiths  
The Smallest Hive  
Chapter 3  
Magnificent was the only word that came to her mind when she looked at it.  
Ever since it was first discovered several hours ago, she had been mesmerized by it.  
They had almost not spotted it floating almost benignly there on the extreme edge of the galaxy. It had at first been mistaken for a large asteroid or some other useless piece of space debris. A few more seconds and they would have ignored it and continued with their mission if it hadn't suddenly moved. It was an almost imperceptible alteration to its course, but it had moved. Its course had changed in what appeared to be an attempt to move away from them. An alteration that would have taken it even further out from the galaxy. That was a move that indicated intelligence. A move that indicated fear and fear was enough of a reason for her to investigate.  
She ordered them to change direction and to head towards the object at top speed at once.  
Hours passed as they travelled down the hyperspace corridor before they dropped back into normal space to make the necessary course corrections to be sure they didn't miss their target. It was then they were first able to get a visual of it. At first it was just a small insignificant speck against the star filled background. Too close now for another hyperspace jump they made their way towards it at maximum velocity. She ordered them to push the engines to the very limit of tolerance. Once they were close enough for her to get a good look at it. She would have pushed the engines until they were ash if it would have gotten her there one iota of a second faster.  
Now that she could see the vessel the only thing, she could think of was how magnificent it was.  
Even as damaged and scarred as the Wraith Hive was, she could see it for what it truly was. It was a predator. Every inch of it practically screamed power. The massive vessel was to her the very epitome of dread and oppression.  
Things like that are especially important to the Goa'uld Ereshkigal Goddess of Darkness and Death.  
Yes, the Hive was magnificent and now it was hers.  
Setting on a literal throne of human skulls on board her mother ship she continued to stare with open greed at the view globe as her fleet of Ha’taks and supporting Al’Kesh swarmed around the hive like tiny savaging crustaceans around a beached sea predator.  
She looked every bit as much the predator as the hive. She was quite proud of the host body that she had taken. The human host was quite tall and had waist long ebony black hair and deep emerald green eyes. Her lithe feline form was also quite appealing to those of the lesser sex. Especially when she was clad in her favorite garb a long silken dress that was as dark an onyx as her hair that clung to "her" body like oil. The rest of her body was all but encrusted with jewels of all kinds from the Milky Way galaxy.  
But the most disconcerting piece of her attire was her crown. A gold and jewel enveloped skull of a large reptilian sentient creature know as a Unas.  
A race that was incredibly special to Ereshkigal.  
"Have they found a way inside yet?" Ereshkigal demanded to know.  
"Yes, my Goddess." The Jaffa Captain answered her.  
"We just received word that they have found an exterior hatchway large enough for an al'keesh to get thru." He replied proudly happy to be the one to give his goddess the good news.  
Ereshkigal tilted her head cloyingly as she looked down at the Jaffa captain.  
"Your men should be congratulated for accomplishing such a task with such prompt efficiency." She replied with threat laced sarcasm.  
The Jaffa Captain couldn't help but smile at the rare praise from his goddess but that only lasted until her eyes flashed with anger. Trying to choke back his terror he quickly saluted her by pounding his fist against his chest and falling to one knee and bowing before her. She let him sweat for a few more seconds before she allowed him to rise. Oh, but how she loved to see them in fear for their pathetic little lives. With a strained show of irritation, she gave an almost imperceptible twitch of her long finger to give the Jaffa Captain his cue that he could raise from his subjugated position. He quickly stood back up and took his position on the command deck.  
She let her gaze once more drift back to the massive vessel that was drifting before her. She couldn't stop the smile that appeared on the face of her "hosts" body as she could only imagine what horrifying secrets, she would glean from it. Soon she would have it all. All for Her!  
Unfortunately, her dreams of power and conquest were about to be shattered for at that moment a bridge crew member was whispering to the Captain who simply nodded and then turned to address his goddess.  
"My Goddess we have just received a communication link from the others in the Triumvirate Fleet. They are awaiting an update on our discovery." He dutifully informed her.  
The anger flashed in her eyes like miniature suns. Her long-manicured nails scratched small grooves into the arm rests of her throne as she fought to keep from hurling herself at him and ripping his throat out with her bare hands.  
"WHO informed THEM of MY DISCOVERY!" she snarled thru clenched teeth at the now terrified Jaffa Captain.  
"Uh, uh I d, di, did my Gohhaaaaahhh!" The Jaffa Captain stammered which were to be his last words for halfway thru his sentence Ereshkigal merely lowered her head and two crimson beams of light shot from the empty eye sockets of the skull crown atop her head.  
The bridge crew of the mother ship stood at rapt attention as they could only watch as their captain fell to the floor in agony screaming silently as he died.  
She continued to let the beams sear into his now lifeless body for almost a full minute after it was quite apparent, he was very dead.  
She rose from her throne and delicately moved down the steps and addressed the Jaffa that had been standing closest to the late captain at the command dais.  
"CAPTAIN." She snapped at her new commander for her mother ship.  
"You are to proceed with the operation to board that vessel and that it is not to be damaged any more then is ABSOLUTELY necessary and that any life forms found upon it are to be taken ALIVE because if my orders are not followed those that fail to do so WILL NOT be granted the MERCIFUL DEATH of the now deceased captain!" Ereshkigal stated as she let her glowing crown cast its red glare over the bridge crew.  
"YES, MY GODDESS." They chorused as they all slapped their fists against their chests in salute. One of the more popular sayings about being a follower of Erishkigal was the type of god you worshipped so that you DIDN'T meet her in the afterlife. Still boiling with rage at the late captain's blunder of informing the other Goa'uld of her discovery she needed to get this situation in hand as fast as she could so she could start making plans on how to keep this all to her advantage.  
"Nef-er'et KREE!" Ereshkigal all but shouted across the command deck.  
The sound of heavy booted marching could be heard approaching as the First Prime of Ereshkigal and her Elite Guard approached. In first marched a group of Jaffa Warriors clad in full body armor and wearing the animal totem helmet in the style of a skeletal stag’s head complete with glowing red eyes and sharp jagged antlers. At the rear of the formation was the First Prime of Ereshkigal, the Warrior Nef-er'et. The First Prime was a striking site. Whereas Ereshkigal was almost the very epitome of beautiful, soft, and pampered ruler Nef-er'et was the flip side of the same coin. No less physically attractive then her deity, there wasn't anything "soft" about her.  
Clad in hard leathers and animal skins, and her long dark brown hair pulled back into a very tight rope like tail that hung down to the small of her back.  
She carried a typical staff weapon a Jaffa warrior as if it weighed as much as a feather in her deeply tanned and very toned, arms.   
The Elite Guard parted before her like grain before a scythe. Nef-er'et stood before the throne and without a word dropped to one knee and humbly looked up at Ereshkigal with cold steel hard eyes.  
Not needing to say anything she simply waited for the commands she knew were coming.  
The Goa'uld Queen flashed the eyes of her host and placed the most seductive smile and relaxed back in a position of barely tolerated annoyance.  
Deciding not to waste any more time she cut directly to the point.  
"My First Prime." She purred. "I want you to go to the alien vessel and take charge of the expedition personally for I want someone capable to be sure no more MISTAKES are made." This last part was directed at the rest of the crew who did not miss this point being made.  
"Yes, my goddess." Nef-er'et replied and without another word stood and strode out of the command deck.  
Ereshkigal watched her go before taking one last long look the Hive ship again. She had other particularly important matters to attend to but at least now she didn't have to worry about what was going on aboard the other vessel.  
The thought of her fellow Goa'uld in the triumvirate gaining any possible edge over her made her almost mad enough to rip her way out of the host body. Once she had dealt with this she would need to "vent" her anger in a more productive manner. And she knew just how to do that. She would play with her favorite "toy". Turning back to her throne she reached down and took hold of a dark heavy metal chain that was attached to the arm rest and began to pull on it. Attached to it was the only creature aboard her mother ship that wasn't afraid to let her know exactly what it thought of her.  
"Come along my little one we will soon have an opportunity to…amuse one another." And with that she used her augmented strength to pull the small reptilian looking creature out from its hiding place. It snarled and gnashed its sharp teeth as it clawed at the metal collar around its neck.  
Ereshkigal could only laugh at the Unas child as it glared at her with open hatred.  
Oh yes this was indeed her most favorite plaything.  
To Be Continued.


	4. Stargate Atlantis : Wraith The Smallest Hive Pt 4

Wraiths  
The Smallest Hive  
Part 4  
Onboard the Hive the Female was growing dangerously impatient. Not that she really had much patience, to begin with. For over an hour she had been watching the Male move frantically around the consoles on the command bridge. The Male was almost a blur as he jumped from one to the next. If he wasn't punching controls on the boards, he was crawling underneath opening panels and fiddling with the internal mechanisms. The scary thing was the more he worked the worse things seemed to get. Panels that he had just "repaired" would seem to be working fine for a few minutes would either go back to the diminished capacity that had originally been, or would go completely dark, or as in one case burst into flames. Even the Main Screen was starting to falter.  
*What is going on? Have you gotten anything operational yet? * The Female snarled.  
*Ah almost I just must make a few more…adjustments. * The Male stammered as he continued to try and get ANYTHING operational as fast as he could. It was almost as if the Hive itself was resisting his attempts at repairing it. All the scans and tests that he'd run showed that despite the damage things should be getting better but for some reason they weren't.  
Not that he could really blame himself for it. As he has already stated he wasn't used to interfacing with the high-level functions of the hive. It was all above his station. And it wasn't like SHE was helping matters any. Did she not know what she was doing? Her pheromones and emotions were all but raging like an out-of-control engine fire. It was like she had no control of herself, and all that chaos was aimed at him. It was almost all he could do to keep himself from going off like an uncontrolled drone in a human holding pen. He could almost smell the sparks coming from his stone-hard teeth as he ground them. He was amazed that he hadn't accidentally blown up the Hive already. He had to triple check everything he did. Didn't she have any control over herself? It was like she was an untrained novice or more like a storm that had gotten off its leash. He had never in all his centuries ever felt emotions or physical feelings like these before. He could literally feel her gaze as it bore its way into the back of his skull. He couldn't take much more of this. He needed her to be distracted and NOW! Thankfully, his wish was granted.  
"Aarrgh!?" growled the Female as she was suddenly shocked from her glaring at the pathetic example of the male form that was before her to a different form altogether. The Warrior Drone had finally arrived in the Control Room.  
The Female almost took a step back. It was an unnerving experience to find so suddenly something so…large standing right behind you.  
"How did you…how could…Why can't I fee…sense Him?" The Female stuttered as she as she turned her focus back towards the other male.  
"Uggh" Grunted the male as he banged his head against the bottom of the panel that he was currently underneath. "Whu what" he asked her.  
I SAID WHY CAN I NOT SENSE HIM!? She all but bellowed at him verbally. Her eyes burned with the intensity of stars.  
The Warrior tilted his masked head in a curious manner at her. She glared at him for a second longer before turning her attention back to the male.  
"He is… defective" The male responded to her matter of fact as he continued his repairs.  
"Defective, what do you mean defective?" The Female growled as she turned to glare at the warrior again.  
"That sigil on his mask it isn't just decorative." He told her.  
She looked at the warrior more closely this time and there it was. It was an almost soft green. Oozing like a fresh wound the rune symbol in the wraith language was very apparent  
She almost began to wonder how she failed to notice it but then she reminded herself that he was only a warrior drone and thus not truly worthy of her attention, so she aimed her wrath back towards the only other occupant of the room. "….WELL!?" the female barked at the unfortunate male. "Ugh!" grunted the male as he banged his head against the bottom of the console again. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it as he crawled out from under the console he was under. Once he was on his feet, he looked at the dimly glowing displays.  
He bit back a quiet hiss as he took in the information it gave him. "We have…a…problem." The male said as he tried to avoid the female’s glare.  
"What kind of problem?" She growled. The Male fidgeted with the console he was at for a few more seconds to gather his wits before answering her. "I have gotten some of the functioning of the internal system, and they are telling that the Hive has been… invaded."  
The Invaders at that moment were standing around in an almost awestruck state as they took in the sights before them. After having gained entry to the alien vessel they now found themselves in. After the Al'kesh had managed to pry open the exterior doors, the Jaffa troops of Ereshkigal had made their way down the cavernous tunnel to a chamber so large that could only be described as MONSTROUS. The Jaffa was awestruck as they took in the interior of the vessel, they now found themselves in. So, enthralled by the enormity of the situation they found themselves in that they failed to notice the arrival of the First Prime of Nef-er'et as she ringed in from the ring glider surrounded by the elite guard of Ereshkigal. "Jaffa, Kree!" The Frist Prime barked as she took in the relaxed state of the troops she found before her. It was almost like a thunderclap as the multiple squads of Jaffa warriors snapped to attention. Even Nef-er'et was momentarily awed by the labyrinth scale of the chamber she now found herself in. The very ALIEN-ness of the area was nearly shock-inducing. The configuration of the room made absolutely no sense to her. It had large ramps that were wide enough for several battalions to parade up and down and they seemed to go off in almost every direction. Some of the ramps led to what looked like organic caves. Some large enough for a single Jaffa while others could allow access for 2 or more cargo craft to fly thru with room to spare. She had to pull herself back to get on with the task of doing her duty. Hearing one of her own elite guards make the whispered comment "You could fit a Ha'tak in here" only helped to steel her resolve.  
Bringing the clubbed end of her staff weapon down on the large platform they were standing on was like a cannon firing in the huge chamber. The crack of the Jaffa snapping to attention again mixed with the still echoing drum of the previous one gave a most ominous feel to the already dark atmosphere of the bay. "Hear me Jaffa I the First Prime of the Goddess Erishkigal command you." Nef-er'et bellowed. Once she was sure she was confident she had their undivided attention she began to inform them of the actions they would take. They would divide up into 3 groups each group to be led by 1 of the Elite Guard. She would lead one group down one of the smaller tunnels into what appeared to head into the deeper interior of the craft. The largest group would make their way down the cavern that leads into a huge tunnel. The smallest group would stay behind and guard the Ring Glider that was the final link of the Cargo vessels that formed the ring link with the outside ships. The "ring link" was a method that was used when a direct line of sight couldn't be established when trying to ring transport into an area. It was mainly a line of Jaffa Cargo ships that would act as "links" in a chain to carry the transport beams to their required destination. Once she was satisfied with the troop detachments she turned to her own group and activated the button to unfurl her own helmet. Once it was fully unfurled around her head, she took her troops into the dark tunnel ahead of them.  
"What do you mean my hive has been INVADED" the female snarled at the male who was still jumping from console to console in the command chamber. "Um, it appears that uh according to the internal systems there appear to be several unknown life forms in the main dart bay." The male tried to inform her as he kept up the appearance of trying to repair the hive's systems. He had given up a few minutes ago but it seemed wiser if the female didn't know this.  
"Unknown, what do you mean Unknown life forms?" She snarled. "How can there be a technologically advanced life form in this galaxy that WE don't know about?" The female all but screamed at him. "Uh um may maybe they are not from this galaxy." The male stuttered as he realized the absurdity of the comment almost as he said it. The look of disbelief on the female's face only helped to hack away at his resolve. He quickly turned back to the consoles to discover some other information to hopefully enlighten the situation. "It seems that the internal sensors are classifying them as unknown because the system wants to categorize them as human but there seems to a non-human component to their physical make-ups." The male stated to her.  
"What is that supposed to imply?" She asked. Well, more like she demanded. "Uh um the internal systems are heavily damaged and I haven't managed to repair them yet so it is possible that they are registering the information that they are detecting incorrectly and that could be the reason for the anomaly in the readings they …are ..displaying." He slowly stopped himself as he stammered out the first thing that came to him. Even the Warrior Drone looked like it wasn't sure if it could swallow what he was saying. He started to cringe as he steadied himself for The Female's predictably abrasive response, but it didn't come. He looked up expecting to see and feel her gaze burning into him but instead she was staring intently at the main screen and the data flowing erratically over it. "Why does it keep registering that there are more and more beings in the bay?" She asked. The male looked at the screen then at the instruments he had attached to his arm, and on the console next to him. "It looks like they are using some form of primitive matter transmission device." He replied. "They are being transmitted from the vessels outside the hive." He added. The Female glared at him for a few seconds before she hissed out loud. "WELL DO SOMETHING TO STOP THEM YOU FOOL!" She screamed at him both verbally and mentally. He staggered a few steps back from the attack before regaining his posture and stepping back up to the console. He nodded to her and then looked down at the controls. His hands hovering over them he tried to figure out exactly how he could do it.  
The Warrior Drone uttered a deep growl while shaking its large head. It then moved forward and roughly pushed the smaller wraith out of his way and jammed a large finger down onto one of the buttons.  
In the dart bay, Nef-er'et and her squads of Jaffa were near to one of the strangely organic-looking tunnels that led into the deeper areas of the ship when the audio sensors in her helmet alerted her to a strange sound coming from the way they had come. She turned to look and looked back at the platform where the cargo shuttle and ring glider were located and still beaming in the Jaffa troopers. Suddenly the rings that were descending from the glider began to spark and tremble. More arcs of energy and now smoke began to emanate from the glider and now the shuttle. Before she could even raise them on her com link both vessels exploded in huge balls of flame and shrapnel all over the platform destroying everything on it. Ships and Jaffa both were now gone. She quickly tried to contact the fleet outside but got only a loud burst of static in her ear. "It appears that we are on our own," Nef-er'et whispered to herself.  
"What are we to do now?" Her second in command asked her. "What our Goddess commanded of us." She replied to him with steel in her voice. "We are to take this vessel and that is what we will do."  
To Be Continued.


	5. Stargate Atlantis : Wraith The Smallest Hive Pt 5

The Smallest Hive  
Pt. 5  
"If only I had time to kill him again "Erishkigal growled to herself once more. She was in her private sanctum within her mother ship as she let the anger she felt towards its now-departed captain and his fatal mistake wash over once more. In his over-eagerness to serve her he had alerted her allies of her discovery of the massive alien vessel that dwarfed her craft by several measures. "By rights, it is mine and mine alone," she thought greedily. "Oh well might as well get this over with" she sighed. Laying back on the large pillow covered sedan in the lavishly decorated chamber and making sure her outfit was all in place and the extra jewelry she had dawned. One must show the proper appearance when communing with one's fellow gods. Lowering the lights in the room and activating the flame torches the chamber fell into a layer of deep crimson tainted shadows. Feeling satisfied that the proper demonic ambiance was achieved she waved her hand at the communication sphere and activated it. The Globe's surface began to flow like mercury as the silver-gray color began to blur as the subspace signal began to make the connection with its far distant cousin. Slowly the surface of the globe began to go from silver to a deep black and then to even darker obsidian. Erishkigal stared into the darkness for a moment before the slightest hint of movement suggested that there was someone there.  
Slowly a pair of startlingly white eyes opened and stared back. The darkness engulfing the eyes almost cowardly started to dissipate. The eyes started to calmly rise and greedily consume the view that the other end of the image fed it. The eyes at first seemed to take in what appeared before them with animalistic greed, taking every nuance of information that they could before focusing on the Goddess of darkness herself.  
"Ah my Lord Gun how pleasant to see again" Erishkigal purred in her most friendly manner at her cousin Gun African God of Iron and War. "Have you found one yet" Gun asked with a voice as brutal and direct as his name implied. "I am doing most well My Lord the warmth of your concern is most comforting" Ereshkigal purred at him. The eyes staring somehow managed to put even more steel into them as they stared back at her. Deciding that the time for levity was over she changed tack to a more direct approach. "No, I have not found a Chappa'ai yet but as you are already aware, we have been…waylaid by recent discoveries," she says.  
"Yes, I am MOST aware, and I point out once more what you are most aware of. You are a part of the Triumvirate and you have been charged with finding a Chappa'ai as I have been charged with preparing our combined fleets" Gun stated.  
"Yes, I am most AWARE of my responsibilities and am doing my utmost to carry them out but surely…" Erishkigal was amid saying before Gun cut her off midsentence. "It is Your responsibility to find a chapp'ai above all else" Gun barked at her. "The very survival of our mission in this new galaxy depends upon your finding a chappa'ai" Gun stated once more.  
"Direct and as unsubtle as the weapon that is his namesake, " She thought with a smug smile on her face. Once Gun had "taken aim" at his goal he was most incapable of allowing anything to distract him from it which is a trait that she could use to work this situation back into her favor.  
"I agree with you completely my dear cousin and I will resume the search immediately, but I will leave a small taskforce behind. Some of my forces are already on board the alien craft and I will not just abandon them." She had to congratulate herself on her performance. Even she wasn't sure she could pull off a line like that and keep a straight face. If there was one thing Erishkigal is NOT known for was compassion for her thralls. Not that she could tell if Gun believed her not with that steel hard face of his. "Very well" He growled and abruptly cut the connection. "Goodbye to you too my dear cousin" She huffed. She had to smile at her cleverness. She would resume her search as she promised him, she just failed to inform him that she would be staying behind with the "small taskforce". Only She would be able to claim the secrets that the giant vessel held but her alone. She sat there in the darkness feeling proud of herself and idly wondering if she would have time to kill that fool captain again.  
It was like walking thru a corpse and it felt like it was watching her was the thought that Nef-er'et was unable to keep from going thru her mind. She was starting to get disgusted with herself.  
She had fought in campaigns in the service of her goddess on over a dozen worlds and been Erishkigal's iron hand of fear and vengeance on more occurrences than she could recall, and she hadn't felt fear like this since she was an orphan scavenging to survive. Sneaking thru dark back alleys and tunnels and hiding from roving bands with the vermin to keep from being taken. A nightmarish existence until Erishkigal saved her from the darkness and delivered her into a new realm of darkness and nightmares. Only this time it was her turn to be the nightmare of those that once hunted her like said vermin. That was something she kept trying to remind herself of as she moved cautiously thru the strange tunnels. The walls just seemed to ooze a sense of malevolent hunger. She took every precaution she could to keep from touching them. The further away from their landing site the more it felt like they were somehow watching her.  
She couldn't stand it anymore. She reached up and pushed the release catch on her helm letting it recede into her collar. That was better she thought. She much preferred to face the unknown without that annoying contrivance weighing down her head. It also cut her off from the annoying field chatter of the Jaffa. They’re constantly reporting out the obvious was almost harder to bear than their current location…almost. Let her 2nd Zor-tel play nursemaid to them. She had a much more important purpose to occupy herself with. Without realizing it she had veered off a side tunnel that separated her from the troop of Jaffa. Blindly she continued.  
In a slightly larger corridor with several smaller tunnels branching off from it, the rest of Nef-er'et's squad of Jaffa were slowly taking in their surroundings, or as Zor-tel would think cowering in fear of the shadows. Zor-tel , once the proud first prime Erishkigal before Nef-er’et. Now too old for the field of battle counted himself lucky to still be alive much less the 2nd to the prime herself.  
Old and hard as fossilized reptile skin He was responsible for the training and discipline of the Royal Guard, a task that has been his privilege to carry out for his Dark Goddess for over 45 years. His greatest glory was that he had been the one that had found Nef-er'et in the wastes of that backwater world and trained her and raised her to be the greatest warrior he had ever seen. And to think that these pathetic rabbles are what passed for the "elite". It made him want to toss himself out the nearest airlock. He had seen children show more backbone than they were right now. They kept whimpering about seeing things in the tunnels and hearing whispers behind them. They were jumpier than a field varmint. Not that he could totally blame them. Being inside this haunted vessel was enough rattle even the most hardened warrior's nerves. Even he thought he had seen and heard …something, something's moving in the darkness. Not that he would let this bunch of idiots know that.  
*whooosh*  
The snap-hiss of the staff weapons cracking open and spinning to all point in different directions at the speed of highly honed instinct should have made Zor-tel proud if he too wasn't just as much on the verge of panicking as the rest of the Elite Guard. He saw …something! He knew he did. It was all …cold, darkness, and HUNGER! By the Gods themselves in his 98 years of life and servitude he had NEVER felt fear like this. It was as if this vessel itself wanted to devour him whole. "I am too old for this." Zor-tel thought to himself.  
*RAARRRGHHH/ZWAAPHH*  
*NOOO!* Zor-tel screamed as he was engulfed in blue lightening before falling into darkness. The last thing he heard was the screams of the other Jaffa, and the howls of a ravenous beast. 

To be continued.


	6. Wraiths:The Smallest Hive Pt 6

Wraiths  
The Smallest Hive  
Pt. 6  
Silence, it was the most horrifying sound Nef-er’et could ever remember hearing at least right at this moment. Mere seconds ago, her ears had been assaulted with sounds of weapons fire, of an awfully familiar and very unfamiliar type, and Screams of Confusion and Terror. Sounds she had heard most often on the battlefield and against some pathetic peasant uprising. Most often it had been she and her Forces that were the cause of the sounds. This was the first time she was the recipient. It has started with the sounds of battle-trained and battlefield hardened Jaffa panicking like small children, and almost worse than the silence had been the savage animalistic roaring that had raised above all the other chaos. It sounded as if Nightmares had come to life and taken them into the darkness. All of these had happened a few mere meters from her. Now the only sound was her own feet running along the alien tunnel and her breath echoing from the walls, that, and her own pounding heart drumming in her head. She rounded the corner mere seconds later and entered the chamber where she had left the squadron and Zor-tel. A Full Squadron of Erishkigal’s Finest Guard. All she found was an empty chamber slowly filling up with a numbing mist, scattered staff weapons and bits of armor. That and an almost overpowering feeling of what she could only recognize as FEAR! It was a feeling she had not felt in a long, long time. She did not welcome it back.  
Electrified Ice. That was the only way Zor-tel could describe the sensation he was feeling as he slowly floated up from the darkness, he found himself in. He had been barking orders at the Jaffa under his command when it all went insane. Shadowy Figures and shapes leaping from every crack and twist in the chamber they had been in, with voices whispering just behind their ears that they couldn’t understand what was being said, and then … ELECTRIC ICE engulfed him as he fell into what he thought must be His Goddess’s Dark Embrace. He was still numb all over. He was only able to move his eyelids at this point. Lifting his eyes open was like heaving a sheet of ice. At first all was still pitch darkness, but slowly a dim green light started to filter in around the edges. Zor-tel almost laughed at this. It reminded him of his younger day as a young wet behind the ears Jaffa Warrior celebrating some small petty victory and celebrating in one of the drinking halls with his fellow warriors. He could just make out 3 vaguely human shapes standing over him. One appeared to be female. His first thought was that Nef-er’et had found had rescued him from whatever had happened to him. Ahh His Little Nef, he thought. His proudest accomplishment, he thought to himself. He remembered finding the near starving waif, all elbows, and thin awkward limbs. She seemed doomed to be forever tripping over her own feet at first, but she soon shattered that delusion and quickly climbed the ranks and became the most fearsome and skilled Warrior it had ever been his honor to serve with. Even seeing Erishkigal’s give her his position as Prime over all other Jaffa had been his proudest moment. His little Nef. She acted like she hated it when he called her that in private, but he always saw that not as carefully guarded smile she thought she was better at hiding than she was. If he could speak, he would have made some joke about her taking her sweet time pulling his old backside out of whatever novice trap it had fallen into, but it was then that his eyes adjusted to the strange light, and he realizes what he saw standing over him was no Jaffa or human. The human was something they were most DEFINITELY NOT!  
In the small adjacent chamber to the larger one, it was almost cramped with unconscious Jaffa Warriors piled up almost carelessly around the walls. Standing in the center of it were the 3 Creatures that had taken the squad. One large and masked, it looked like it had the strength of a mountain. Another smaller but lithe and possibly the most lethal-looking of the trio appeared to be female (naturally), they seemed to be arguing in silence. The smallest of them was kneeling before Zor-tel and quickly looking back and forth between its two companions. The Female suddenly let out a long and angry hiss thru its rock-like teeth and pointed a talon at Him. The large one loomed over the smaller one. The smallest one nervously glanced at the other two before looking at Zor-tel from behind its goggled eyes. It then almost tenderly reached out one of its hands toward his chest, and then ripped his armor and padding from his chest like it was thin parchment. Zor-tel had no idea what it was doing but He resigned himself to face whatever fate was about to befall him like a True Jaffa of the Dark Goddess he served. He would show them no fear. It was then that the creatures hand attached itself to his chest, and he screamed. He screamed as Fire flowed thru him and He felt himself both energized and weakening at the same time. The Fire BURNED its way thru to his Very Soul! Zor-tel screamed, but his screams in no way matched the horrific scream of the Wraith that was FEEDING ON HIM! Zor-tel screamed in Pain and Fear. The Wraith screamed in Burning ESCASTY! The Screams of the Small Male Wraith were soon joined by the ravenous hunger of the Female and the Warrior as they too turned and ripped into the other still Jaffa. The Screaming soon filled the small chamber and beyond and continued for several minutes.  
In the nearby chamber Nef-er’et the screams seemed to be coming from everywhere. The Bestial Roars of Pleasure were one of the most horrible things she had ever heard, and she had been to Erishkigal’s torture chambers on many occasions. Those screams and cries failed to compare to the horror of what she was hearing now. No matter which way she turned her head she couldn’t identify which direction it was coming from. This Nightmare Vessel seemed to take pleasure in frustrating her every step. Activating her helm, she activated its communicator. “Jaffa Answer Me.” She barked’ “What is your current Location and Situation”.  
The Jaffa leader of the other squads reported in. He reported they were in a large almost canyon-like channel that seemed to have no end. He also said that the warriors said the walls appeared to be moving. As if the ship was literally waking up and starting to notice them!  
“Keep your warrior’s idiotic notions to yourself” Nef-er’et barked at him. “Notify Me only if you see something actually worth reporting!” With that, she cut the connection and shunted her helm back into the neckpiece. At least they hadn’t disappeared …yet.” She thought to herself.  
She had needed that. They had needed that. Nothing was more pleasing or satisfying than waking from a long hibernation and being allowed to FEED unfettered. The Female Wraith stretched her back and legs and felt the energy course thru her and repair and replenish her body. She felt ten times stronger now. The Warrior standing on the other side of the chamber felt the same way. The massive muscles covering his body were even larger now. Even the Male didn’t look quite as pathetic…almost. The Warrior Drone knelt and started picking up and tossing aside the desiccated corpses of the Jaffa Warriors. Making sure there were none that were missed. “He couldn’t still be hungry?” The Female thought, but then looking at the massive body, it probably took a lot to keep it going. “Not My Problem.” She thought to herself and quickly cast any thought of the Drone’s needs out of her mind. She turned and looked at the Male. He was still kneeling by the first creature he had feed off and was inspecting its body. He was waving his finger attachments over the corpse's stomach. *Stop playing with that trash, we have invaders to destroy! * She growled at him telepathically. *I have discovered why the Hive’s instruments gave such confused readings on these creatures. * He replied to her and before she could say anything else, he plunged his feeding hand into the corpse's stomach. He pulled his hand back out and in it was some small white and wiggling little grub thing. *What is that? * She snarled. The Male checked his instruments again. “It appears to be a symbiotic parasite. * He told her. “This is why these creatures were stronger than our normal feed humans. * He squeezed his hand on the grub and it squealed as he feeds on it. The grub suddenly dissolved out of his hand into a small pile of ash. * Oh, tasty. * The Male said with a small smile. The Female turned and looked at the Jaffa she had feed on and sure enough, there on all of them was the same small pouch. The 3 Wraith looked at each other then tore at the corpses. Never turn down a free snack was another Wraith Proverb.  
“What do you mean we have lost communication with my warriors on the alien vessel?” Erishkigal screamed in the face of the white-faced Captain of Her Mothership. He fought hard to keep his voice from shaking as he informed her that a weird energy field had suddenly snapped into existence around the massive alien vessel, and that also every vehicle being used in the Ring Transport link had either exploded or its ring device inside had. Also, that the door that they had forced open had re-shut and repaired itself. It was now even stronger than before. He failed to inform her that this had all happened nearly 45 minutes ago. She had been distracted by dispatching most of her fleet off to look for one of this galaxies Stargates. She had sent 75% off leaving her mothership, 4 Ha’taks and over a dozen support vessels. A Force more than capable of laying waste to any planet it its path but it looked almost miniscule when floating next to the alien vessel. She stared at the poor captain with a look of pure evil for a few more seconds before she turned and yelled at someone standing in the shadows of the control deck. “Techno-Vizier!” She bellowed. Out of those shadows stepped a tall form. Wearing a dark and elegant purple robe with eyes aglow, a Goa'uld walked calmly and proudly up to her. The Human host body was tall, and thin and had dark brown skin and long black hair just like Erishkigal’s host body, but this one was male and had a satanic goatee. “Yes, my queen.” He said using the voice-altering technique the Goa’uld loved to use. “I take it you are aware of the current situation.” She said to him with a coy snarl. “Oh, yes my queen. “He said back to her with a matching tone. “I have been studying the phenomenon for the past several minutes, ever since it first occurred.” He said with a nasty smile while giving the poor captain a sideways look. “Oh, have you.” Erishkigal said while her head slowly turned to glare at the captain. He couldn’t stop his teeth from chattering or his knees from knocking together, but he needn’t concern himself. Erishkigal solved that embarrassing problem for him. Onboard the Hive the 3 Wraith were standing in a curving tunnel next to a station the Male had managed to get working again. The mist on the floor was nice and thick now, almost as thick as the ooze dripping from the walls. The interior of the have was starting to change from that of a dried-out corpse to that of the interior of a living creature. It was starting to feel much more like home. * Where are the rest of the vermin now? * The Female snapped at the Male. He nearly fell over. Her raging emotions were not helping him concentrate. He really wished he could find the nerve to tell her to control herself, but he didn’t find the thought of his head being separated from his shoulders and bouncing down the tunnel all that appealing. He studied the info scrolling across the screen and his goggles, while building up his will to turn and inform her of the situation. *There are still 2 groups of invaders. * He said. *The smaller group is making its way towards one of the inner thorax energy transfer modules. * He said. *And the others? * She asked. *Ah, that is the good news. * He said happily. A few seconds went by. “WELL?!” The Female yelled at him vocally. *Oh, yes, right. * The Male stumbled, which was kind of impressive to do telepathically. * It is the Largest of the groups, but it is moving down the main process and storage channel now. * He said and activated a sequence on the information terminal. * Problem solved. *  
In the tunnel, the large group of Jaffa Warriors were making their way nervously forward in the darkness. The squad Leader was having trouble keeping his nervous troopers inline. Not that he could blame them. This “Tunnel” was one of the strangest and most terrifying places any Jaffa could have ever found themselves. It was like walking down the throat of a large creature. When they had first entered it, it was the throat of a dead thing, but the further they went, the more alive it became. They would have turned back if they weren’t more afraid of incurring the wrath of bot the Jaffa Prime Nef-er’et and the Dark Goddess Erishkigal herself. They should have taken the change because now they would never get another. The floor around their feet suddenly became extremely soft. The Jaffa suddenly found their feet sinking into it. Only their extreme training and fear of their Dark Goddess kept them from outright panicking. They started attacking the floor with the blunt end of their Staff Weapons. They shouldn’t have wasted their time. From the ceiling rained down a lightning storm of Stun Bolts. The Jaffa collapsed on the soft floor which started to carry them forward like a conveyor. Out from the walls suddenly burst tendrils. They reached down and ensnared the comatose Jaffa and pulled them further into the depths of the Hive.  
*Now what is happening? * The Female enquired of the Male. *To put it simply, the Larder is now restocked. * The Male said with a slight smile. The Female smiled. Standing behind them The Warrior was inspecting one of the Jaffa Staff Weapons. Running his huge hands around the midsection he unknowingly found the trigger stud. The weapon discharged a bolt of energy right into the terminal in between the Male and Female. It exploded in flurry of flame and debris! The Explosion caught the Female and Male sending them to land in a heap of burning pieces of burning material and wraith. The Warrior looked at them and then at the staff weapon in his hands. Shaking his head back and forth he casually snapped the staff in two and tossed the pieces aside. A Crude and Messy weapon It thought.  
Nef-er’et looked down at the withered piles of Jaffa laying at her feet. She had found her missing Elites. She had literally crawl up a wall and thru a small tunnel to find them. She couldn’t believe what she found. How had the Elite of Erishkigal’s Jaffa Prime been defeated so fast, and how did they get their bodies up here and so quickly? And what had the Aliens done to them? The bodies, if they could be called that, looked like dry wood left under a desert sun for a century. She fell to her knees. Horror and loss breaking lose across her face. She found Zor-tel. The only way she could identify him was the gold sigil of Erishkigal branded into his forehead. It was a match for hers. She had never felt any emotions like this before. She had never lost anyone before. She had never had anyone she cared for before. She didn’t know how to handle this. It was a totally new experience to her. She looked down at the dry husk in front of her. The closest thing she had ever known to a parent. He had looked after her. He raised her. Trained her. Tears started flowing down her face. The sorrow quickly turned into a flame of rage! Her lips pulled back and her teeth snapped together. She was on the verge of doing something she had never done before. She was going to disobey her goddess. She would KILL the things that did this. For that she would risk ANYTHING!  
*There is now only one group of the invaders left but it is a large group, well over a dozen of the creatures. * The Male told the Female, she hissed with annoyance. * We shall deal with them in the same way, we shall attack and Cull them as we did the others. * She was practically bursting with arrogance over these last 2 triumphs over the invaders. The Male just stared back at her blankly from behind his goggles. * Don’t you think we were kind of lucky before? * He asked. She returned his stare but filled hers with contempt. *Lucky? * She snapped. He was lucky she answered telepathically, or she would have spat in his face. * Well, Yes I..* The Male started to reply but She cut him off in midsentence. * We are WRAITH, we are strong, they are weak, that is all that matters. * I am not disagreeing with you on that most assured fact, * He added quickly and wisely. * What I am saying is that the group we personally attacked were in a confined space and we took by surprise, and the other group was in a Culling Channel. It is specifically designed to deal with large and aggressive groups of humans. * He told her. She opened her mouth and pulled back her taloned hand as if to smack some sense into him, to which he cringed and braced himself for. She just put her hand down and growled quietly. * That makes sense. * She replied grudgingly. She thought about it for a few seconds more. * How did YOU figure that out? * She asked him with a glare of suspicion. She was a Female. Born, bred, and raised for Command and Battle. He is a low born scruffy little nothing. How did he figure that out before she did? * I didn’t. * He said. * The Drone told me. * With another look of almost shock on her face, she turned and looked up at the massive figure standing behind them. It simply looked down at them and nodded bluntly. “How, how did He figure it out, much less tell YOU!” She asked vocally. “He can’t talk or communicate telepathically, and, and he is just a DRONE!?“ None of this was making any sense to her. The Male is practically Nothing in Wraith society. The Drone is even Less! “We have been assigned to the Hive Keepers for an exceedingly long time. “The Male told her also vocally. “How Long?” She asked. “Since right after we expelled the Ancient Vermin from our galaxy.” He said plainly. “Rarrgh!’ added the Drone. Thousands of Years. Her own existence, not counting hibernation, was barely that of 2 decades. She almost felt a sense of respect for that. Almost. Hive Keepers. For Wraith it was a vital duty. IT was their charge to protect the hibernating Wraith Masses and keep the Hives Healthy and Functional while it too also slept and regenerated itself on the planets they rested upon. Dormant memories started to drift to the surface of her mind. She recalled being taken from the training area of the Hive. Being led down into the depths of the Hive. Parts of it that she had never been in before. Some huge project was underway that the entire Hive had been awakened for. She didn’t know what it was. Had she been told or not? She decided it didn’t really matter. It was probably beneath her status to be bothered with, or was it the other way around? The Last memory that she could recall was being taken into a huge chamber filled with large pools of something. There were 2 others there. Who were they? She thought to herself. She looked up at the Male and the Drone. Could it be them? She shuddered and pushed the thought out of her head. She decided that there were other things she decided to put her mind too. The Male and the Drone just exchanged glances and kept their thoughts to themselves. “We have to deal with the last of these pests, so how do we do it?” She growled at them. Another exchanged glance between the 2. “I order you to think of something!” She snarled. The Drone just looked down at the Male and shrugged his huge shoulders. The Male just got a look of Why Me on his face and turned to the nearest still working terminal. It took a few attempts to get it to work. Another problem he was sure he would have to be the one to fix. The screen finally kicked on, and he scrolled thru a few hundred lines of info. The Drone walked up behind him and studied the info as well. It started pointing and making grunting noises. The Male looked back and forth between the screen and the Drone. The Male started to nod excitedly. “Yes, yes that could work!” He said happily. “What could work?” The Female demanded to know. She hated being left out. “The invaders are currently near one of the human hibernation nests.” The Male said as if that explained anything. He nearly crumbled under the power of her annoyed stare. He managed to pull himself together and shook his head to clear it. “What, what I mean to say is that they are near one of the hibernation nests, which means that if we can lure them into one of the access chambers, we should be able to flood it with the gases and fluids that would put them all into a state of hibernation.” He said out loud, hoping to appease her. She stared at him for a few seconds. “WELL, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?” She yelled. “IT isn’t ready yet, “He said quickly. “I have to prepare the area for them, that means the invaders have to be distracted from that area and then led into the trap.” He said. “So, in other words...” She said slowly, not liking the direction this was taking. “We need a distraction, and then bait to lure them into it. “He said wearily. “You thought of all this?” She asked with more then a hint of menace. ‘He helped!” The Male said pointing at the Drone quickly! The Drone slowly looked down at him.  
To be continued…


	7. Wraiths:The Smallest Hive Pt 7

Wraiths  
The Smallest Hive  
Pt 7

Deep in the Hive the platoon of Jaffa Warriors cautiously made their way along the eerie corridors. The Officer in charge was having problems keeping the solders under control. Not that he could not blame them. This ship seemed to go out of its way to make things uncomfortable. The fog on the floor was almost up to the knee now and it swirled and clung to you. It made walking hazardous to say the least. They had already lost one Jaffa who had walked right off ledge and fell into what seemed like a bottomless cavern, and they were in a tight hallway when it happened. And the Noises the place made. Whispers, and groans. It could sound like there was something right behind your ear, or like something was crawling in the walls. Even with their Helms activated and their sensors and audio enhancements and filters activated did nothing to help. In fact, it seemed to make things Worse! You couldn’t trust the inbuilt viewscreens. Images of things kept popping up. The Jaffa were either jumping out of the way of imagined phantoms or shooting at them! Erishkigal Alone knew how they had not managed to shoot one another. The only real thing keeping them from scattering like scared fowls was the threat of what Nef-er’et would do to them if they did. Giant Monster Ships held no threat compared to that. The Platoon Leader gave the hand signal for the Jaffa to come to full alert. The all snapped to full attention. Something was moving ahead of them in the darkness. There it went again. It was fast and it looked like it was flying. It also looked translucent. They had seen campaigns on many worlds but never had any of them seen a creature like that! Signaling the other Jaffa, they took rank and set off in pursuit of the creature. As the Jaffa set off in pursuit of their ghostly prey, they were unaware that they were being watched. Hunted would be the more accurate term, but not from the killer they were thinking of. From the shadows Nef-er’et kept a close eye on the prey. She was hunting the Hunters, and the Jaffa were the lambs being followed to the slaughter. The creatures were luring the Jaffa towards some point and those fools were obliging them most willingly. At least they were being useful she thought grimly. 

*Fool, are you ready yet? * The Female asked via a telepathic signal. *Not yet! * He sent back. She bit back a roar she nearly let out. Delays. Always Delays! She wasn’t even a Full Queen yet and already she had a hive full of incompetents to worry about! That Fool Male didn’t seem to understand the urgency and was taking far too long in setting up the trap, as far as she was concerned, and she hadn’t seen that Warrior Drone in over an hour. Where was it? She shook her head. She had to keep her concentration. Creating these mental phantasms to lure the invaders thru the hive was more difficult than she thought it would be. Those exercises had only just been a part of her training before whatever the big project had pulled her away from them. She was not fond of it. She found them difficult and annoying. She much preferred the physical training. Especially the combat and Culling techniques. She enjoyed those greatly. Finally getting to put them to use had been a true pleasure! It had been at first anyway. Making the images do what she wanted was harder than she thought. For one thing they kept going the wrong way. She was supposed to be leading them away from the Male and the chamber he was setting the trap up in. She had almost led them directly into the main tunnel to him. It was hard to keep her concentration. Her mind kept drifting back to her first Feeding! Technically not her first. Since she had matured, she had feed on humans many times, she had been taken to controlled training feeding areas many times, but this time had been her first Real Kill! Dragging the human, or whatever it was, up the wall and into the side area had been Glorious! Especially seeing the Fear in its pathetic eyes. She couldn’t wait to do it again! Granted having feed so well so recently she wouldn’t need to for quite a while, but the anticipation of the event was almost overpowering her senses. Now that she had a Hive of her own, she would soon be getting to experience many new things! She would use her hive to conquer other hives, until she was the Queen of All Wraith! Then she would conquer the Galaxy! All Would be HERS!!!! Lost in her own daydreams of hideous glory she suddenly realized that she had lost track of the invaders. She spun around a few times trying to find a track of them before turning to run down a tunnel she hoped they had taken. A few minutes later Nef-er’et stealthily appeared out of the darkness, just missing sight of the female. She moved off down the same tunnel the Jaffa had just taken Tightening her hands around her staff weapon, she moved with caution down the dark tunnel. A few seconds later, a shadow detached itself from the wall. The Warrior Drone followed the unaware Jaffa Prime down the tunnel. 

In a medium-sized chamber off one of the Hive’s main artery tunnels, the Male Wraith was working at a feverish pace. He was running up and down the walls, scurrying across the ceiling, and in and out of vents and openings. He was carefully and tenderly rearranging sinewy wiring, and moving organic pumps into place, while going back and forth from the room’s small intelligence terminal. He was doing his best to make sure this worked right the first time, because he knew he would not be given a second chance. He knew that if the invaders didn’t get him if this failed, the female surely would. She might not kill him, but he had a sickening feeling she would make him wish she had. Oh, how he wished things could go back to the way things were before. Back when he was an unimportant and unobserved little cog in a vast machine. Happily going about his important but not high-profile duties. No one paid him any attention and he reciprocated in kind. Down in the isolated and dark depths of this hive. Where he was happy. He got the feeling those days were not going to happen again (if ever) for an awfully long time. He sighed, rechecked his instruments and the information scrolling across his goggles. All he needed to do was run the connecting vein from the main supply route for the hibernation and preservation chemicals, set up a remote activation relay and they were all set, at least until the next disaster happened. Get that done and the Hive would have a new food storage chamber. The chamber was a gaming room for mid-tier Wraith Blades. It was slightly cluttered with gaming consoles and tables and areas set up for aiming challenges and other physical exercises the blades liked to entertain themselves with in their free times. He had never been in one of these rooms before and it didn’t have any appeal to him so he wouldn’t miss it. He climbed effortlessly up the wall and into a small vent. He just missed seeing Nef-er’et’s lithe form slip into the room. She quickly looked around. She could have sworn she heard a noise from in here. She had been a short distance behind the Jaffa Platoon, who were still chasing their ghosts when she thought she heard something from a side tunnel twisting away from the one she had been in. “Damn this maddening place.” She cursed under her breath. She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take. She quickly looked around the room again, peering into all the crevices, under the tables, and all the shadows she could see. Not seeing anything she slowly turned and made to make her way out of the room and to find the other Jaffa. Hoping that they hadn’t gotten themselves lost and or destroyed yet. Not before she found whatever was the source of all her current misery. She was starting to wonder if it was the massive ship itself doing all this. Behind her the Wraith Male crawled out of the vent and dropped the 15-foot drop to the mist-covered floor making barely a whisper of sound. 

Failing to notice the Jaffa standing by the doors, he turned to the terminal and glanced at the screen. He smiled. He was done, and the trap was all set to be sprung. All that was needed was to lure the invaders here and it would all be over. He turned and got all the way to the center of the room when he spotted the invader and froze where he stood. “Uh.” He grunted as he froze. Fshh-Snap went Nef-er’et’s Staff weapon as she spun around and activated it with the speed of a coiled serpent. “Uh!” She gasped as she aimed her weapon at the creature standing in front of her. The only thing that stopped her from firing blindly was the shock of seeing IT just standing there. To her it appeared almost out of thin air. The 2 just stared at each other for what seemed like eons but was just seconds. Nef-er’et looked at it. She looked at the hard yellow-green carapace like skin. It was taller than her, but thin. It almost looked malnourished. It didn’t move or even breath. It just stood as still as a stone statue. It looked like a Dead Thing. She was tempted to make sure it was a dead thing. She ground her teeth together and bit back the fear that threatened to flare up from with in her. She instead let her Hate flare up and fight it back down. Was this the monster that had killed Zor-tell? Did it Matter? She deactivated her staff weapon and leaped into the air with a yell. “Aaahhh!” She cried as she swung the blunt end of the Staff Weapon with all her might. A loud Crack filled the room as it connected with the head of the creature. A sickening snap echoed off the walls. Nef-er’et spun around landed in a crouched defensive fighting stance. The Creature shook its head and turned to face and continue staring at her. Her jaw popped open. She had taken the heads clean off her enemies in battle with that move. Leaping to action again she attacked. Swinging the Staff Weapon in a blur of movement. This time the creature did move. It backed away from her. Dodging the blows in a just as fast a blur of movement. She stopped and inhaled deeply, fighting to get her breathing under control. The Creature just stood as still s before and stared back at her. She attacked again. She swung the staff around, but this time it was a feint, she kicked out her long leg, hooked it around the ankle of the creature and pulled. 

The creature lost its balance for a second, but it was long enough. Nef-er’et landed 3 more heavy blows with the staff weapon. One to the head, one to the chest and stomach. This served to keep it off balance long enough for her to get the staff In between its legs and to flip it head over heels to go crashing into the tables in the room. She stood and looked at the spot on the fog covered floor where it landed. She stared at the spot. Had this done it in she wondered for a few seconds. The answer came soon enough as the creature slowly rose out of the swirling fog. Its head cocking back and forth. It looked like it was talking to someone. It let out a long low sigh, its claw like hands suddenly snapped wide and it charged. Nef-er’et leaped back barley dodging its slashing claws. She kept moving backward, using the staff weapon as shield. Sparks flew as one clawed hand hit the energy weapon end of the staff and it shattered like a clay pot. She dropped and rolled under a table and jumped back to her feet. She stared at the creature with a new look of understanding and a smile spread across her face. The Creature was strong. It was fast, and it was durable. It also didn’t know how to fight. She flung the now ruined staff weapon at it. It caught it in one metal clawed hand and looked it with a curious glance. Her right hand swished down to her hip and took the zat’nik’tel weapon and fired it. The blue bolt hit the creature full in the chest. It grunted and shook but remained standing and stared back at her. Her eyes were wide at seeing the zat stun shot fail. She fired another stun shot, and again hit the creature full in the chest. It grunted again and took a step back, but still did not fall. Not hesitating Nef-er’et shot it with two bolts. The Killing Shot. 

This time the creature let out a pain filled roar that echoed off the walls of the room. It almost hit her like a physical blow. It fell backwards into the fog. She stared at the gun in her hand. She had never seen a creature of that size at least stand up to the weapon like that before. With a growl the creature slowly sat back up. Reacting on unthinking training, and instinct programed fear, she fired again hit it with two bolts again. It moaned and slowly laid back down into the fog again. Nef-er’et let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding it. She almost let herself relax for a minute before she took a fearful step back. Out of the fog raised a clawed hand. Its talons flexing in the air as a slow growl came up from the floor. She aimed the zat’nik’tel at the taloned hand. This cannot be possible she kept repeating to herself over and over. How could It still be alive? Was it ever alive? Nef-er’et dropped to one knee and spun, aiming the gun at the door. Standing in the center of the door was another of the creatures. It had taken her completely by surprise. It was also very unmistakably a Female of the Species. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Other then it being female the other main difference is that she could see its eyes. That didn’t make it appear any more living then the other, but it did somehow seem worse. The thing emanated strength, confidence, and arrogance. The thing spread its lips over horrible looking stone-like teeth and smiled at her horribly. Nef-er’et tightened her grip on the zat. The Female suddenly turned and strode almost casually across the room to where the fallen creature lay. The Female reached down and with one handpicked up the creature with one hand. She inspected the groaning thing. She gave a disgusted snarl and tossed it onto a nearby table. It moaned and groaned as it lay there. It sounded like it was suffering the night after parting at a Jaffa Warriors Coming of Age Party. The resilience of the creatures was frightening. The Female turned and looked at Nef-er’et. It then reached down and took an odd-looking pistol-like weapon out a holster on its thigh. The Female creature smiled evilly and dropped the weapon on to the table next to the Male Creature. It smiled again and took a vicious looking knife from a sheath around its waist. 

Faster than Nef-er’et’s eye could follow the knife flew across the room knocking the zat from her hand and pinning it to the far wall. Nef-er’et had never seen anything move that fast. She turned to look at the Female. It was still standing by the table. It bent down and pulled the remains of the Staff Weapon out of the fog covered floor. It then tossed it casually to Nef-er’et. Now she understood what was going on. The Creature wanted a Fight! She took the staff and twirled it a few times experimenting with it to get a feel of its balance. Nef-er’et was more then happy to oblige the monster. She once again took a standard Jaffa Fighting Stance. Putting the Staff Weapon into a place where she could strike either defensively, or offensively in an instant. The Female Creature still just stood there smiling at her with a casual, and arrogant posture. Suddenly the Female shot straight up towards the high ceiling. It then somehow performed a series of somersaults along with it over her head before spinning and falling to land a few feet behind her. In an instant, it went into a double-handed attack swinging bot of its clawed hand down at her. Nef-er’et dropped to her knees and once again rolled under another table just in time to avoid being sliced to pieces. At the last instant, Nef-er’et kicked up sending the gaming table up in the air. The Female easily dodged the large object and moved to a clear side of the room. Nef-er’et jumped to her feet and moved to swing the staff in an attack, but the Female wasn’t where she thought it was. Nef-er’et suddenly went flying forward when she was attacked from behind by the Female. Lucky for her the female-only hit her with the back of her hand. Fighting to remain conscious from the blow. The Female smiled down at her with a nasty glare. The Female reached down to grab Nef-er’et by the throat when at the last instant she rolled and brought the blunt end of the staff weapon up to deliver a solid blow to the female’s chin! Her head snapped back, and her teeth clacked together, almost making sparks. Nef-er’et then dropped the staff weapon around and down to knock the Female’s feet out from under her. She fell like a tree to crash on her back! Nef-er’et jumped up and turned to bring the damaged end of the staff weapon down in a stabbing motion, aiming at where she guessed the creature’s heart was. The Female at the last instant grabbed the staff with her left hand and pushed up as hard as she could. 

Nef-er’et spun head over heels to land in a heap nearly on the other side of the room. The Female effortlessly rose to her feet. She was beginning to enjoy herself. The Female reached out and grabbed one of the massive gaming tables and threw it at Nef-er’et like it weighed nothing! The table exploded in a shower of shrapnel and sparks! Nef-er’et took two of the larger pieces from the wreck and leaped to her feet. She refused to let this beast win too easily. The Female happily obliged The Jaffa Prime! The two clashed in a blur of attacks! They attacked and counter-attacked at blinding speed. Nef-er’et landing and deflecting the claws of the Female, straining her toned body to keep up. The Female barely showing half of the effort in doing the same. The Female suddenly brought her right arm down in a sudden strike! She shattered the remnant Nef-er’et was holding into pieces, her blow continued down to do the same to Nef-er’et’s arm! She let out a growl of pain as the shock nearly knocked her out. The Female’s left arm shot out like a piston sending Nef-er’et flying thru the air to land on a table on her back. The Female in the air right behind her. The Female landed on the table atop Nef-er’et. Her left hand pinned Nef-er’et to the table and her feeding hand shot back, the fingers spreading wide. Nef-er’et looked up at it. She saw the feeding mouth on the palm open wide and its small teeth quivering in anticipation! The Female let out a wild roar of pleasure! The same roar she had heard before she found the remains of Zor-tell! Nef-er’et face went white.   
“JAFFA KREE!” Shouted the Platoon Leader as He and the surviving other 9 Jaffa opened fire with their Staff Weapons! They let loose a barrage of glowing plasma bolts which crossed right over Nef-er’et and where the Female had been before she leaped out of their way at the last possible instant! The far wall exploded under the impact and burst into flames! The Female landed awkwardly on the other side of the room. She did not find solid footing as she stumbled on the debris strewn around on the floor. The Jaffa repositioned themselves. They took up a surrounding firing pattern from the door. Some of them would fire keeping her in place while the other Jaffa fired directly at her. She would not be able to jump to safety this time. The Platoon Leader opened his mouth to give the firing command. The Female snarled at them with open rage, hatred, and defiance. From behind the Jaffa the Warrior Drone slammed into them like a living avalanche! The Drone’s right arm swung out, sending one Jaffa into a far wall. He died instantly! The Drone’s left arm came down on another Jaffa, that one crumpling like a tin can! The Drone’s Left foot kicked another Jaffa in the back. Splintering his armor and spine-like kindling. The other foot came down on a fallen Jaffa, he splattered like some fruit! The surviving Jaffa scattered like leaves before a strong wind. The Drone did not slow down. It barreled Its way to the Male still on his table just finding the strength to manage to sit up. The Drone reached out a massive hand and grabbed him by his’s thick clothing on his chest. The Drone turned and effortlessly threw him out of the gaming room into the corridor outside the doors! The drone then snatched up the Wraith Stunner Pistol from the table and fired wildly at the Jaffa! He didn’t hit any of them, but they were all force to take cover behind whatever they could. He kept firing. The Drone then looked at the somehow still conscious male in the hall and let out a series of guttural grunts and growls! The Male shook its head to try and clear it. The Drone kept firing and bellowing! He suddenly nodded vigorously and started pushing buttons on his wrist comm and earpiece! The terminal on the far wall suddenly light up and Wraith text rapidly scrolling across the screen! The Female took advantage of this and jumped to one side of the Drone and picked up a fallen Staff Weapon. She looked at it trying to figure out how it operated. On the terminal, a vivid red button lit up with a deep tone.   
The Trap was now ready to be sprung! The Male smiled. All He had to do was touch the similarly red light on his wrist comm and the room would be flooded with the hibernation fluids and fumes! He could then remove the Female and Drone after they and the invaders were knocked out. He raised his taloned finger to activate the switch! At that moment, the Female accidentally activated the Staff Weapon! It let loose a blaster bolt …. that hit the terminal dead center! It exploded! On the Male’s wrist comm the little red light went out, just as his talon was a literal hair’s width away. The Next Disaster had just arrived. The Drone slowly turned his head to glare at the Female. She was lucky He had his mask on or the Look He was giving her could have killed her. A look of horrified shame crossed The Female’s face. She was not sure what exactly just happened, but she guessed right that it was an unbelievably bad thing. Nef-er’et took control of the pain in her useless right arm and rolled off the table. She jumped up and pulled her zat’nik’tel from the wall! “Jaffa, Zat 2 Kill Only!” She Yelled! The Platoon Leader and 2nd Lieutenant being the only ones carrying the zat’nik’tel put down their staff weapons and pulled the snake guns from their sides and started unleashing the double blasts at their enemy! Several of the double blue lightning bolts slammed into the Female and the Drone! Both Roared in Pain and Anger! The Female fought against it but slowly crumpled down by a wall and fell on to the mist-covered floor. 

The Warrior Drone dropped his pistol but refused to fall! He let out a wall-shaking roar, spread his arms wide and charged at the Jaffa! The Jaffa visibly shaken did not stop firing! Just as it looked like the Drone would crush them, he fell face-first like a falling tree down into the fog. The impact nearly knocked the Jaffa over. The Male in the hall just sighed and passed out. The Jaffa Warriors looked at the fallen monsters at their feet. “They are not Dead, bind them quickly!” Nef-er’et shouted out! Not daring to argue with her, they did so quickly. “What now Prime?” The Platoon Leader asked her. “We do as we were commanded to. “She said biting back the pain in her arm. Even now her symbiote was doing its best to repair it, but it still hurt like hell. “We take the Creatures to Our Dark Goddess.” She said but added under her breath. “Where I will make sure they are delivered into the darkest Hell I can find.”   
To Be Continued.


	8. Stargate Atlantis : Wraith The Smallest Hive Pt 8

Wraiths  
The Smallest Hive  
Pt.8

Erishkigal’s Mothership drew in closer to the massive Wraith Hive. One of the most feared war vessels in the Milky Way Galaxy looked insignificant next to one of the most feared Monsters in the Pegasus Galaxy. The Goa’uld Goddess of Darkness hated to pull her gaze away from its image on the View Globe. The Power she envisioned it giving her nearly overwhelmed her host bodies senses. Thankfully, her true reptilian self was more than capable of handling the magnitude of the Greed inside her! Looking deep into the view globe she could see the Tel’Tak flying away from the alien vessel. It was surrounded by 2 dozen Death Gliders to escort it to the Mothership. They were cordoned by every Al’Kesh in the fleet and walled in by the 4 Ha’taks. She was taking no chances with the precious prisoners being escorted to an audience with her. Thru them she would learn all the secrets of the great vessel and make them hers! Besides, she so loved putting on a grand reception display for honored guests! Pageantry was a specialty of hers after all.   
Aboard the flight deck of the Tel’Tak, Nef-er’et was overseeing the flight to the hanger deck of the Mothership. Her arm was in a sling, and still hurt, but it was healing very rapidly. She glanced over her shoulder to look at the door leading to the troop bay. Now it was a holding cell for the creatures. It was also holding 20 Jaffa Warriors. Half with Zat’nik’tel and the rest with Staff Weapons. The Unbreakable Order from their Goddess, Erishkigal was NOT to Kill the Creatures, but She was taking No chances. The 3 had already almost fully recovered from who knows how many Kill Shots from the zat weapons. She should count herself lucky that they did survive, for Erishkigal’s rath would have been unthinkable for her orders being disobeyed, by her own Prime no less, but Nef-er’et still chafed at the thought of the monsters still existing. The sooner they were no longer her responsibility the better. 

In the Main Hall of the Mothership things were ready. All the powerful overhead lights had been put out and the high slanted walls now had flaming torches mounted on them. At one end on a raised dais Erishkigal’s throne of skulls had been placed. On either side of the steps leading up to the throne were metal bowls with burning materials giving off red lights and smoke. Along the walls of the hall stood 2 lines of The Elite Jaffa Warriors with their skeletal Stag Head Helmets activated. Down the center of the hall leading up to the Ring Transport pedestal was a long deep channel of red. It resembled a river of dark blood. It was all a most Hellish Display. Sitting on her throne, Erishkigal sat, with her pet Unas Child, still chained to the throne openly glared and snarled at her with defiant hate. Erishkigal smiled to herself. This was all most perfect. The Nightmarish atmosphere of the Hall was quite to her liking. She wanted the beasts from the alien craft to be in awe and fear of her right from the start. Best to let them know where the Real Power was. IT was with Her! Stepping up next to her came Nef-er’et. Now dressed in more traditional Jaffa armor, albeit of a finer quality then the other Warriors. On the other side and behind the Unas Child stood the Techno-Vizier. Still in his fine robes. He eagerly awaited to get a close look at the aliens as well. Erishkigal activated the glowing eyes of her Skull crown. Not fully activating the weapon, but just enough to create a fierce glow. Yes. Now everything was ready. With an almost imperceptible nod Erishkigal signaled to summon their “Guests” to the hall. Nef-er’et made a sharp gesture with her hand. The Jaffa at the other end of the hall around the pedestal stepped forward, activated their Staff Weapons and Zat-nik’tels and took aim at the pedestal. A signal was sent to the Tel’Tak Ship where the Wraith were still being held with a small group of Jaffa Guards. The Teleport Rings shot up from the base of the pedestal. A bright bluish glow shot up at a near blinding brightness. The Hall was filled with the rumbling and humming sounds of the Rings. The rings descended back into the floor. The rings were quickly followed by the desiccated remains of the 4 Jaffa that had been guarding the Alien Creatures. It was a neat trick seeing as how their hands were still chained in front of them. The Wraith were feeling much better. They looked around the hall. They thought it looked quite cozy. Erishkigal was not amused. The Jaffa around the Pedestal started making violent gestures at the Wraith, forcing them to move down the blood path. The Female arrogantly strode ahead. She looked about the hall and the lines of Jaffa on either side of her. She looked about her with greed and contempt. The Male and the Warrior were a few yards behind her. The Warrior followed at a more casual pace. The Male kept as close to the Warrior as he could as his head snapped all around him in a nervous way. He looked like he was trying to see everything at once. Erishkigal’s long painted nails bit into the skull decorated armrests of her throne. This was not going the way she had planned. The 3 Wraith were herded to the bottom step leading up to the throne. Erishkigal looked or more accurately glared down at the Female. Her eyes Glowed like candles. 

The Female looked up. An appearance of curiosity on her hard face but not one of being all that impressed. Erishkigal raised a single hand and with a long finger pointed to the floor. The Gesture was clear. At least it was assumed it was clear. The Wraith just stared back up at her. Well, the Female did. She cocked her head to one sided and just gave Erishkigal a blank quizzical stare. The Warrior with his mask on, it wasn’t sure where he was looking exactly, and the Male was still looking in all directions. Erishkigal leaned forward and put all the effort into making the best use of the Goa’uld Voice manipulation technique. “On Your Knees!” She commanded. Again, outright defiance or out right being ignored. Both set of Erishkigal’s eyes glowed. White and Red! Nef-er’et made another violent gesture. The closet group of Jaffa nearest to the Wraith stepped forward and used the blunt end of their Staff Weapons to Make them Bow before Erishkigal. The Male fell to his knees quickly, being used to being servient almost as a fact of nature. The Female took several blows to her head and back, she turned and snarled and snapped her teeth at the Jaffa like a chained and angry beast but was finally forced down when 2 Jaffa hooked her arms in their Staff Weapons and physically pushed her down. They managed it after several long seconds of them straining to do it. 2 more Jaffa raised their staffs like hammers and brought them down with their full might to strike the back of the Warrior’s lower legs. It was like hitting a Tree! One Jaffa dropped his Staff as it bounced out of his hands. The other’s staff literally Bent! The Warrior casually looked at them then slowly dropped to his knees. That too was like a tree, falling over. Those nearest almost bounced. Even on his knees he was still almost taller than most in the Hall. Erishkigal smiled. This was more to her liking. She rose slowly from her throne and calmy walked down the stairs. Nef-er’et watched this with guarded thoughts. The Techno-Vizier watched with a bemused smile. The Female looked up at her with burning rage. Erishkigal looked down and smiled. She loved this part. The part when new Slaves still had that spark of rebellion in them. How she loved to crush it out of them. She knelt to look the Female in the eye. “So, these are the things that led my Jaffa a merry chase around my new craft?” She said in a mocking yet unfriendly way. “Yes, My Goddess.” Nef-er’et replied sourly. “Obviously, they have some level of intelligence, can IT understand me?” She asked. Nef-er’et could only shrug. She had only heard them make animalistic noises. “They have a certain level of High Technology, and according to the reports of Your Prime and the Elite Jaffa, they also have a written language of sorts and they have shown evidence of some form of communication amongst themselves, it may simply be they are physically uncapable of vocal communication.” The Techno-Vizier said in an intellectual’s favorite way of saying things. Sounding like they are smarter than everyone else in the room. “What little information we were able to glean from the Tauri we do know this galaxy has a Chappa'ai Network, it should be safe to assume that it also has a Translation Bio Data Recoding Matrix as does the home galaxies.” He said in the same tone. “Yes, I am sure. “Erishkigal replied. She turned and looked back down at the Female. “We must do all that we can to establish a line of proper communication between us and our new friends.” She smiled at the Female in a way that conveyed no warmth or friendship in anyway. “They need to learn their proper place in the coming New Order for My Galaxy. “She reached down and took the Female’s chin in her hand and dug her fingernails into her cheeks, or at least she tried. Those were stone hard cheeks. Erishkigal’s Eyes started to glow. She stared right into the Females just as cold and inhuman eyes. “They need to learn that they are now the property of their New GOD!” She hissed into the Female’s face. They stared into each other’s eyes. 

The Female stared back into Erishkigal’s eyes and past them. Erishkigal couldn’t pull her eyes away. Her mind was grasped in an Ice-Cold Grip! She could feel it moving thru her mind like a knife! Erishkigal fought with every iota of the strength her host’s body could supply, even her true reptilian body was giving everything it had! With a titanic effort She broke the hold on her. She staggered back almost falling over. Sweat pouring down her face, Erishkigal fought to get her host’s body and her own under control. Everyone in the Hall was staring at her. She stood up and had to fight to stop herself from attacking the Female. On second thought, why not. She got ready to rip her throat out. “What is a god?” The Female asked in a voice that sounded like metal scrapping against rocks. “What did you say?” Erishkigal gasped. “What is a god?” The Female repeated. Now she was back on familiar ground. She glided down to the Female. “I am god.” She told her. I am Your God!” She added. “That makes you MINE!” She leaned in closer with both her and the crowns eyes glowing brightly. A Loud SNAP filled the hall as the Female’s head shot forward like a striking serpent and her horrible teeth cracked together almost taking Erishkigal’s nose off! She leaped back, her hand flying up to her face. She looked at the blood on her fingers as she touched the tip of her nose. The missing tip of her nose. She looked in horror as the Female licked the blood off her teeth with a ghoulish smile! Erishkigal nearly exploded with rage, only the Techno-Vizier stepping forward stopped her. “Your Most Exaltedness, I feel I must intercede.” He added smoothly. “There is much that we can learn from them, while they are still mostly in one piece.” He concluded with. Erishkigal bit back her rage and stared at the Wraith. “Very well, I will acquiesce to your requests.” She snarled. She looked over the Wraith before her. “You may start your experiments on the small scruffy one.” She said and pointed at the Male who just looked back at her with an odd look. “Imprison the big one for later, but take the other to my Personal Chambers, I will Interrogate her Personally!” She said with venom dripping from her voice. “By your unholy decree it shall be done.” He said bowing deeply. The Jaffa moved into remove the Wraith from the Hall when Erishkigal noticed something. The Unas child chained to her throne was staring intently at the large Alien, who she now realized this whole time had been staring back at the Child. She recognized a look on the little creature’s face she hadn’t seen in a long time. It was Fear! She got a deliciously diabolic idea. She smiled at the Unas Child with her most devilish sneer. The Child glared back at her with suspicion. It could recognize when she was up to something. The Child braced himself for whatever she was going to do. She reached down and disconnected the chain holding the Child to her throne, she pulled the fighting child along behind her. The Child fought all it could as She pulled it along almost effortlessly. She ordered one of the Jaffa Guards over to her. “Yes, My Dark One!” He said as he snapped to rapt attention before her. She thrust the empty end of the chain at him. “Attach this most firmly to our Large Guest, then escort them both to a nice cell where they can get acquainted with each other.” The Child’s eyes gapped open, and he once again started fighting against the hold the chain had on him. The Wraith Drone, its face hidden behind its unreadable mask looked first at Erishkigal and then at the shaking Child. It looked down at Erishkigal. She took a step back. The Jaffa Guard quickly gestured for a few more Jaffa (about a dozen) came over to help him move the prisoner. Erishkigal watched the Aliens being moved out of the hall. Yes. She could tell things were going to get interesting very soon. 

The 3 Wraith were separated and taken to different sections of the Mothership. The Female was dragged kicking and screaming to the upper levels of the pyramid-shaped middle section of the ship. The Warrior Drone and the Child were taken to the lower sections were the Mothership’s Dungeon was located, while the Male was led to the middle interior. He was being taken to the Techno-Vizier’s Laboratory. The 2 Jaffa guarding the Male were literally carrying him. He was acting like he was in a state of shock. Not a usual state when one is being taken to the Techno-Vizier’s High Tech Torture Chamber as the Jaffa liked to call it, when the Techno-Vizier wasn’t close enough to hear them. He despised such jocular familiarity. He felt it besmirched the Importance of his most important tasks he preformed for his Beloved Benefactor, or as he liked to think of her in private as the pompous poltroon. It sometimes amazed him that those Inbred parasites managed to build a series of nigh on galactic spanning empires across the sectors of the home galaxy for many thousands of years. Granted it was all falling around their incompetent heads now, but that was no concern of his. Thanks to the scientific knowledge and capabilities of his and, certain others. Yes, He had only himself to thank for not letting himself being taken into the Ruling Cast of his people. Granted He too was a Goa’uld himself, but he chose the path to True Power, not that illusion of Political Ungulates that were brining the empire to ashes with their backstabbing, double-dealing, and sheer stupidity. No. He chose the path of Science! The Rulers might think they had the real power, but they were fools. It was Him and his kind that created the weapons that built the empires. They might think They controlled them, but what was given could be taken Away! Taken away by Him and those other towers of intelligence, and it would happen in places like this! They had arrived at his laboratory. His Throne of Power! Unlike the rest of the Mothership, his lab was well lite and packed with the high technological remnants of the races that fell to the might of the Goa’uld. In the center of the room was his pride and joy. The Experimentation Table! Oh, how he loved to Learn from his Specimens! The Jaffa carried in his Newest Specimen just now. Once carried into the room, it seemed to have an odd effect on the Male. It appeared to have a calming effect. The Techno-Vizier thought this to be quite odd. It normally had quite the Opposite effect. The Male had stopped its nervous shaking and slowed to take his time to stare at all the machinery and scientific devices in the room. The Techno-Vizier looked at the Alien more closely. He took in the devices it had about its person. On its hands, in its hair and even attached to its head. That and Its scrawny and somewhat malnourished appearance, and those odd goggles on its face. Perhaps it is a Scientist he thought. He couldn’t wait to LEARN from It! “Strap it to the table.” He ordered the attending Jaffa Guards. “Prepare the instruments, I want to start immediately.” He said to the other humans in the room wearing similar ropes to his but far less opulent. His Scientific Staff in fact looked far more terrified than their current test subject. They knew extraordinarily little than the most basic of scientific knowledge. Not sharing knowledge was one trait he shared with his fellow Goa’uld. The Male Creature was now strapped down to the table. The Techno-Vizier walked over and looked down at it. “Yes, we are going to learn so much from one another.” He said in an unsettling tone. The Male just stared back at him from behind his goggles. The Techno-Vizier smiled back at him and tried to figure out how to get the goggles off. 

Deep in the less pleasant part of the ship, a squad of Jaffa was escorting the Warrior Drone to a cell. One of the Jaffa was carrying the still struggling Unas Child that was now attached to the Warrior’s wrist via a long chain. The Drone was being a perfect prisoner whereas the Jaffa carrying the Unas was being the exact opposite! If he didn’t have on his full armor and helmet he would have been CLAWED to Death by now! The Jaffa at the lead opened a solid metal door and gestured the Large Creature inside. It calmly walked in. The Jaffa holding the Unas threw it in with an angry heave. “Get in there you Little Monster!” He yelled. Even with their helmets on their laughter could still be heard. The only thing that stopped him from shooting his brother Jaffa was the Squad Leader. He ordered the Angry Jaffa and one of the others to stay and guard the cell. He didn’t want the alien pulling a disappearing act to which He could be blamed for, that and to keep his troops from getting into a brawl that he could also get blamed for. The Angry Jaffa stood on the left side while the other Jaffa took the right and did his best to control his laughter. Inside the cell, the Unas Child had pulled the chain taught to get as far from the Warrior as it could. The Warrior stood as still as a statue in the center of the cell. It stared at the clearly frightened little creature. It took a step towards it. The child tried to scurry away from it but only backed itself into one of the cells corners. The Warrior towering over it stared down at it and slowly bent over and reached out for it with one giant hand. Its shadow fell over the Unas Child. 

In the highest part of the pyramid of the ship, Erishkigal got ready to begin her interrogation of the Female Creature. She had changed out of her black silken gown and now had on a one-piece black bodysuit that was more suitable for her type of techniques of getting information from the creature. She a looked at the creature that was in the next room. It had been securely bound to the wall by the wrists and ankles. It had stopped fighting and had taken on a calm appearance. This somehow seemed no less threatening. The 2 Jaffa Warriors watching it were not getting any closer to it than they had to. After what happened in the Hall’s Transport Rings, she couldn’t blame them for being, cautious which was a more diplomatic word she decided, but she did enjoy watching their fear at being near the beast. Taking their reaction into consideration, she put her crown back on her head and put on a Goa’uld Hand Device as well. No sense in not taking precautions. She sent a signal to the guards that they received in their helmets comm systems. Without a word both turned and marched out of the room. The Female paid them no attention at all. Erishkigal reached down to her control console again adjusted a few more dials. The room the Female was in the lights suddenly dimmed and were replaced with a dark red hue. The temperature also rose by a couple of dozen degrees. The heat became like that of a desert at noon. She was told the conditions on the alien’s ship were cold and clammy. She wanted the beast to be as uncomfortable as possible when she made her entrance and made things much, much worse for the creature.

Down in the Mothership’s Dungeon, the 2 Jaffa Guards were still standing watch on the Cell with the Alien in it. They were both getting quite bored. Since both the creatures had been imprisoned there hadn’t been a sound from in there. To entertain each other they were taking bets on the fates of the Alien creatures. Mainly they were betting on which one of them was to suffer the worst fate. It was a fair rate on the Female and the Male. 

They couldn’t decide if Erishkigal or the Techno-Vizier would come up with the worse outcome. A side bet had started on to what the Big Alien had done to the Unas Child. They also had started daring each other to look, but so far neither of them had risen to the challenge. Standing guard in the long dark corridor was not their idea of a fun duty. The smaller of the 2 Jaffa stepped forward and swung his Staff Weapon out. “Did you hear that?” He asked. The Larger one rolled his eyes at his younger counterpart. “I didn’t hear a thing.” He said with a smirk. Small Jaffa kept looking nervously down the dark corridor. “I know I heard something.” He repeated. Big Jaffa chuckled. “You are just letting all this excitement cloud your senses. “I am not, and I tell you I heard something!” Small Jaffa spit at him. “And what excitement are you referring to?” He added. “What excitement he says.” Big Jaffa said divisively. “In the last few weeks, we have joined forces with 2 Gods we were recently at war with, then we made the journey from one galaxy to another, and then we have been exploring said galaxy filled with unknown dangers and hostile creatures, and what excitement you say.” Big Jaffa said with bewilderment. “You might have been a part of the Big Excitement but other than the Big Journey the only Excitement I have seen is normal ship duty.” Small Jaffa griped while still looking down the corridor. Big Jaffa just rolled his eyes and gave the tired smile to the senior warrior. Big Jaffa stepped out and aimed his Staff Weapon down the other way of the corridor. “I heard something!” He gasped. “See, I told you there is something out there, but it is this way not that way!” Small Jaffa snarled. A strange whispering noise suddenly echoed down the corridor. “There it is again!” They both shouted and jumped out and pointed their weapons down opposite directions. “No, it came from this way!” They said in unison. “I told you there was something there!” Small Jaffa said with new confidence. “All right I believe you, go down there and investigate it.” Big Jaffa ordered him. “What, by myself!?” Small Jaffa gasped. Big Jaffa just gawked at him in shock. He stuttered and chocked for a few seconds before he managed to snap out a reply. 

“You are a sniveling little coward!” Big Jaffa growled. “Are you a Jaffa of the Dark and Terrible Goddess Erishkigal or a snot-nosed infant!?” The Small Jaffa started thinking quickly. “You are much more threatening in appearance than I, you should go check it out!” The Big Jaffa was on the verge of pointing out the nonsense of this when suddenly an even louder sound came from the other end of the corridor. This time they both aimed in the same direction. “We should call for help!” Small Jaffa said nervously. “Not until I know exactly what is going on, I will not be made a fool of!” Big Jaffa said sternly. “Yes, you wouldn’t want it to happen again so soon.” Small Jaffa said matter of fact. Big Jaffa nearly clubbed him with his staff. From the other end of the corridor, a ghostly shape came flying out of the darkness It filled the corridor and suddenly engulfed them both! The Ghost swirled and whipped around them, and it howled and moaned with unworldly sounds! The Small Jaffa panicked and started firing wildly at the phantom! The Big Jaffa dived for the floor before he could get gunned down! The blasts exploded along the wall in a line of devastation! The blasts also totally devastated the cell door controls! The Phantom suddenly disappeared just as the cell door slid open! The Small Jaffa looked into the darkness past the door, when suddenly something came flying out of it towards him! It was the Unas Child! With a snarl it dug its little clawed hands into the Small Jaffa’s throat and head! The Chain attached to the Child’s wrist suddenly went taut and both the Small Jaffa and Child were pulled back into the cell! The Small Jaffa let out a short yell before it stopped abruptly! The Big Jaffa rolled over and looked up. The Last thing He ever saw was the Warrior Drone stepping out of the Cell and reaching down for him. The Long Corridor once more fell into a deathly silence. 

To Be Continued…


	9. Stargate Atlantis : Wraith The Smallest Hive Pt 9

Wraiths  
The Smallest Hive  
Pt 9  
The Walls Burned! The interior of Erishkigal’s Personal Interrogation Chamber literally steamed. A heat haze hung in the air like a blanket. For a normal human, ore even a Jaffa, the room would be barely survivable. Erishkigal’s fist slammed with such force into an ornate golden table next to her chair that she left a dent in it. The Damned Creature wasn’t even Sweating! She had just broken the bone in her left pinky finger and two in her host body’s hand. She massaged her sore hand as she glared at the Female thru the View Globe. It was spoiling her fun!  
It had been nearly 2 hours since the Female had been shackled to the wall. Erishkigal had risen the temperature in the room 3 times. Her contempt for the wretched thing just kept growing. She wished she could fire her Crown’s Eye Beams thru the View Globe at it! IT didn’t even look drowsy! She reached up and felt the tip of her nose. 5 minutes in the Sarcophagus and her own ability to speed up her host body’s healing process had completely repaired the damage, but the pain of the humiliation and degradation still burned! She could stand it no longer. She pushed a few buttons on the rooms control console. A force field erected in the chamber. It created a barrier around the creature, keeping the heat around it as cooler air seeped in. Up from the floor, large square tiles slowly rose, making a sound like huge gears of stone and metal struggling to raise a great weight. Under the tiles were containers decorated with skulls and motifs of human sacrifice and torture. When they reached about the height of a normal human, doors swung open like on cabinet, revealing instruments of torture. Instruments ranging from mysterious high tech to primitive barbarity. The Cabinets were angled so the prisoner had a good view of the contents. All were favorite toys of Erishkigal.   
She stood up from her throne and moved towards the door to the chamber. She stopped to look at herself in a large full mirror. She had added some accoutrements to her attire. Some nice long heel stiletto boots. A belt and some shoulder additions. Wrist and shoulder attachments. All made of a polished dark gold material. Decorated with her favored Skull motif and all of it pointed and razor sharp. It was both fashionable and functional. Taking one last moment to make sure everything was on straight she turned and glided towards the door. It opened automatically as she approached, and it made a sound like cracking bone. She did love her theatrics.   
As she approached the creature it didn’t move but its inhuman eyes opened slightly wider and locked onto her like a targeting system. She could hear and see where the creatures clothing had started to smolder and smoke against the burning metal of the wall. She could also hear its hard skin slightly sizzling in its manacles. If It was in any discomfort It wasn’t allowing any of it to show. The Beast was smiling at her! It was also sniffing, with her nose and those strange slits just above her high cheek bones.   
“What are you?” She wondered out loud. The Female’s ugly smile grew slightly bigger. Erishkigal was thankful the forcefield was still in place. “We are going to get to know each other very well you and I. “Erishkigal purred. “Very well indeed.” She said and took the Female’s personal knife out of a pocket on her suit. The Female glared at it greedily. Erishkigal ran the tip of the blade against the force field between them. It sparked and began to glow as the energy interacted with it. The Female’s eyes followed it almost as if mesmerized by the slow movement. She slowly moved the tip of the blade until it was pointed right between the Female’s eyes. The Female stared at it intensely. Erishkigal leaned in and put on her most sinister smile. SNAP went the Females teeth like a metal animal trap! Erishkigal flinched backwards and dropped the knife which clattered on the metal floor. The Female let out a mocking hiss and once again licked her teeth.   
Out in the hallway of Erishkigal’s Private Chambers, Nef-er’et and her chosen few of the Jaffa Elite Guard were standing at attention. They had been called there a few minutes ago by their Goddess. She had instructed them to wait there and to enter the chambers immediately upon her signal. The Guard were assuming it would be to “clean up the remains” of the Goddess Newest Entertainment, not an unusual occurrence. Nef-er’et had a suspicion that That was not really the reason. She had ordered them to replace their staff weapons with the zat’nik’tel weapons. She didn’t want to take any chances if they had to rush in weapons ablaze. If She was honest, she was hoping just for that to happen. She wanted a piece of the ENTERTAINMENT too, but she had learned quite a few habits from the tutelage of her Dark Goddess.   
Along one of the many corridors of the Mothership, a small band of custodial slaves were cleaning up as part of the routine ship duties. They were working hard and extra diligently. They knew what fate awaited them if they didn’t. A Horrible Fate! So, dedicated to their tasks they paid as little attention as they could when a sole Jaffa Warrior stomped by. He rounded a corner and weas gone. One slave turned to one standing next to her. “That was the biggest Jaffa I have ever seen.” She whispered conspiratorially. “His armor looked like it was going to burst off him!” She added. “That is none of our concern, we should only be worried about keeping the floors clean.” The other slave said loyally. “Besides if one of the Higher Ranks sees that long white hair of his sticking out from under his helmet, that will be the end of him.” He spoke in the same whispered tone. “That poor boy, and did you see that odd satchel he had on his back, I wonder what was in it?” She asked. “That is None of Our Concern!” He said pointedly. “Probably better not knowing.” He said grimly. “Why?” She asked him. ‘Because I could have sworn, I heard it growling!” He finished with. They both looked at the Corner the Odd Warrior had gone around. They went back to not paying attention to things that didn’t concern them.   
“Aaarrgghh!” Erishkigal grunted as she shoved the Rod of Anguish into the stomach of the Female with all her enhanced strength. “Grrrahhhh!” Growled the Female back at her! The end of the Pain Stick was glowing from the heavy use. They glared back at each other with pure hate in their eyes. It was hard to tell who was showing more exertion from the past few minutes. Erishkigal had lowered the force field so she could torture the beast better. The Heat had been fierce at first but had dissipated quickly. She had hoped the drastic change in temperature would affect the female, but no such luck. She had cut it several times with its own knife and even stabbed her twice in the chest and abdomen, but the wounds had healed nauseatingly fast! The thing was truly a Monster! “Raarrhh!” Bellowed Erishkigal as she once more shoved the Pain Stick into the side of the Female who let loose a glass cutting screech! She pressed as hard as she could! The Female screamed in pain and rage, in equal measure.   
This went on for several second when the Pain Stick suddenly snapped in two with a loud flash and bang that sent Erishkigal staggering backwards! She looked down at the two pieces in her hands. She screamed with rage and hurled the pieces of the stick away, she then whipped up her left hand and let loose from the Kera Kesh she wore! The Shimmering Wave of Force Slammed directly into the Female! She let loose wave after wave, hammering the Female against the metal wall again and again! Erishkigal stopped her assault. She looked up. The Creature had collapsed in its restraints. Could She finally have exhausted the thing she wondered. She unleashed 2 more attacks on it. The Female slammed against the wall like a lifeless puppet. Erishkigal slowly and cautiously made her way towards it. She stopped to pick up the Female’s knife off the floor. Now armed with both the Kara Kesh, The Crown, and the Knife she felt more confident. Standing right in front of it, she reached down and with the knife hand and savagely grabbed the female by her long hair and yanked her head up to be level with Hers. It looked different now. Its face looked drier than before, starting to crack like old leather. Even the hair was starting to lose its dark vibrant color. It looked like it had aged centuries in the last few minutes. She then brought up the Kara Kesh and let it surge an electrical attack into the side of the Female’s head. It stiffened and its eyes slowly opened. Now they were cloudy and dull. Erishkigal smiled. “So, you do have a limit after all.” She said. Suddenly, The Female’s mouth opened wide and let-out a near soundless hiss. Erishkigal increased her attack with the Kara Kesh. The Female’s right hand sprang open wide, talons bared. Erishkigal looked and saw the slit like mouth also open wide, its small sharp fangs now exposed. The manacle holding the hand started to bend and crack, and before Erishkigal could even blink the hand ripped free from the wall and shot towards her almost faster than her eye could follow, but to her it seemed like the hand was flying in slow motion! She watched in horror as it moved towards her, like a predator leaping upon its prey! The Hand ripped into Erishkigal’s Chest! The Claws dug in; the teeth started to chew! Both the Goa’uld and The Wraith SCREAMED!  
Out in the Hallway, Nef-er’et receded her helmet into her collar. She turned and looked at the Metal Door leading to the Inner Chambers. She looked at the door again, she could have sworn she heard something, but that should be impossible. The Royal Chambers were well screened and shielded, not to mention sound proofed. She almost asked the other Warriors if they had heard anything, but she stopped herself before she did. No point in asking those fools. They didn’t have the will or intelligence to make their own decisions in a matter like this. So caught up in her own issues, she failed to notice that an extra Jaffa had joined their ranks. A rather larger then normal Jaffa. Making her mind up Nef-er’et stepped up to the door and punched in the security code. The door slid open and she stepped into the outer chamber. Standing in the small waiting area, Nef-er’et stepped up to the inner door and listened. She thought she could hear screaming, which was not unusual, but was she mistaken, or did she hear 2 distinct screams? One sounded more like a roar.   
As she stood there trying to decide if she should disobey her Goddess and enter the inner chamber unsummoned the Extra-Large Jaffa reached behind it and tossed a Ra’Kek Grenade right into the center of the Jaffa Elite. They all recognized it at once, but all were to shock by seeing one land in front of them to be able to leap away from it. The Ra’Kek erupted in a burst of Deadly Light that shot out in almost every direction at once! Every Jaffa quickly fell under the barrage! Nef-er’et standing inside the outer chamber was fortunate enough to be shielded from its attack, but the grenade died out and a scant instant after a large shadow fell across the outer door. She looked up and saw a Large Jaffa pointing a Zat’nik’tel right at her! She leaped just fast enough to only catch a glancing stun bolt from the weapon. She rolled and crashed into a small divan and fell behind it. Darkness threatened to overwhelm her, but she fought against it.   
The Warrior Drone deactivated the Jaffa Helmet he was wearing to reveal his own masked head. The Unas Child’s head popped up out of the satchel on his back and looked around with excitement! This was Fun! He was having fun! He liked this! He liked it a lot! The Warrior Drone tiled his head and gave it a curious look then turned his attention back to the Inner Chamber Door. He unleashed a destructive 3 bolts from the Zat Gun, but the door held. Erishkigal was no fool and made sure her chambers were well protected. The Drone stepped back and continued to blast the door with the Zat’nik’tel but backed up out into the hall. The Unas Child jumped down and grabbed a weapon from one of the Dead Jaffa and handed up to the Warrior Drone. He took it and began a double attack on the door.   
The Female dropped the husk of Erishkigal to the floor. That was Good! Excellent in fact! The Female leaned back and stretched as the energy flowed thru her and renewed her body. The Humans of this new crop that were laughable attempting to invade Her Galaxy were of a much finer quality then the home-grown kind. She almost forgot that one thing about these creatures. She knelt and looked for the that odd pouch with the slug thing in it. She ripped off the garments around the stomach, but the pouch was not there, but that made no sense. She could Taste the thing when she feed. It must be there. She noticed her knife lying near the remains. She picked it up and used it to hack into the body. She was not understanding this. When they feed on the Warrior Cast, even after feeding the worm thing was still there and alive. Getting frustrated she sheathed her knife and inhaled deeply with both sets of her nostrils. She could both smell and sense LIFE! She Wanted IT! Losing any sense of patience, she started tearing the husk apart with her claws! Suddenly from behind the head a long shape suddenly bolted away. The Female slashed at it on pure instinct, missing it by the width of the air! The Female smiled and jumped after it! It must be the worm thing, and it was Big! If she could have, she would have started salivating. The worm thing slithered away as fast as it could! It went under furniture, behind or under whatever it could, but the now super charged Wraith just knocked or kicked what ever it went under out of the way in her pursuit! If only that Blasted Noise would stop, she could concentrate on her prey!  
The Chamber Door suddenly evaporated in a flash of Energy and Dust and a Massive Form burst into the room. The Female jumped up to confront this new foe before she realized it was the Warrior Drone! The Drone started gesturing at her and at the door in exaggerated arm movements while growling at her. She of course ignored him.   
*Where have you been? * She asked him via telepathy, forgetting that he wasn’t receptive to it. “Help me find the worm thing, now!” She ordered him. The Drone just stood there, and She guessed he glared at her from behind His Mask. “Grah, what is that thing!?” She snarled as the Utas Child, still attached to the Drone’s wrist by the manacle and chain suddenly appeared next to him. The Child darted forward, pulling the chain tight, as he ran up to the husk of Erishkigal’s host body. He stared down at it for a few long silent seconds before he let out a loud happy growl then started jumping up and down on it.   
The Female watched this with a cross between bewilderment and impatience. That and was the Warrior Drone laughing? “Never mind this nonsense, help me find the worm thing!” She yelled and turned around to renew her search. The Warrior Drone just shook his head, reattached both Zat Guns to the now in awfully bad shape armor he wore with magnetic claps. He grabbed a very shiny metallic looking blanket off the floor and the Female with the other hand and simply turned and pulled her, the blanket and the Utas out of the room and down the empty corridor, except for all the dead bodies.   
Out in the corridor, the crew of Cleaning Slaves walked around the corner and saw the devastation and carnage in front of them. Several nods of agreement were made before someone spotted some litter in another corridor some way off that needed their immediate attention.   
In the Mothership’s laboratories, the Techno-Vizier was engrossed in studying the data the small tablet he held in his hand was showing to him. The knowledge that the specimens they took from the alien were giving him some remarkably interesting results. Results that could bring Very Big Changes to the Goa’uld Race. He turned and looked at the “Specimen” on the examination table. It has proven to be one of the oddest subjects he had ever tortured, that is EXAMINED. It was a Wealth of Scientific and Biological Data! He couldn’t wait to turn it to his advantage. Now he just had to decide just how much of the knowledge he should inform his Queen of to keep her happy and off his back.   
As he was making his plans, he failed to notice some new arrivals to his lab. A Lone Jaffa Warrior of exceptional size, and a Mysterious Cloak Wrapped Figure who appeared to be Female. Not taking any chances, all the Slave Technicians quickly fell to their hands and knees and began bowing and groveling. Noticing the noise of groveling not being directed at him, he turned to see what the cause of this was. Assuming this to be Erishkigal coming to check up on him, which was not an uncommon occurrence. You could almost think she didn’t trust him.   
“Ah My Dear Deity of Darkness, how fortuitous for you to choose now to bless us with your….” He started to say but something was not right. He looked at the cloaked figure. Erishkigal was not one to every Hide her Form. She was far to Proud of the Host Bodies She chose. He simply smiled and nodded. The two were suddenly enveloped in force fields that shimmered around them. Here in the labs, He was the Master! The Female let the blanket fall to the floor, and she lashed out at the shield with her claws, which sparked around her hands knocking her back. The Warrior Drone had aimed a zat’nik’tel at the shimmering but didn’t fire. “Ah the large one shows some intelligence.” The Techno-Vizier laughed. “How fascinating.” He turned and looked at the raging female. “Apparently it is not a trait they all share.” The Female calmed herself and looked down at her smoking but rapidly healing claws. “I have already learned Much about your kind from your small friend, but I do yearn to learn what Wonders You hold in store for me, my ferocious beauty.” He said looking at The Female. “I think the first thing in order should be a lesson for you” The Techno-Vizier said with his eyes aglow. “A Lesson in Who is The True Power Now!” He once again nodded his head, and the fields around the two Wraith started to shrink. The Warrior Drone put out his massive hands and pushed against the swirling mass with all his impressive strength but did nothing to effect the energy. The cage around the Female pressed her arms in tight around her. She turned and glared at the Techno-Vizier.   
“I know you can understand me. “He said. “Do you have anything to say?” He asked her.   
*Yes. * She growled. His curiosity aroused He leaned in closer. “What do you have to tell me?” He asked insatiably. *Lesson! * She hissed back at him, and her clawed hand snapped up in front of his face and she clenched her claws. The Techno-Vizier’s teeth snapped together, and his face contorted in pain! He fought against it with all his will power, but it was no use. The Female squeezed her claws tighter and the pain increased. He fell to his knees, nearly passing out. She stared down at him, the look of concentration on her face looked to be almost as painful as the stress the Techno-Vizier was experiencing. His eyes started to roll back into his head, he was on the verge of losing consciousness when suddenly the force fields snapped out off! Both the Techno-Vizier, and The Female collapsed on to the floor. Rushing forward The Warrior Drone went up and kicked out with a massive foot, right into the Techno-Vizier across the lab! He flew across the lab and crashed into a wall of various technical apparatus which came crashing down on to him, burying him beneath the wreckage.   
The Technical Slaves in the room who had been cowering in the corner during all this continued to do this. Having been trained since birth to be blindly obedient, just didn’t have the ability to stand up for themselves. The Warrior knelt and pulled the Female back to her unsteady feet. She shook her head to try and clear it. The strain of doing what she did had taken quite a toll on her. She just hadn’t learned how to effectively use her mental abilities, but she was recovering quickly.   
He shoved her up against a wall, so that she could support herself, and He then turned and moved over to the examination table in the center of the room, where the Male was still strapped down. He hadn’t made a sound during the whole confrontation. The Warrior drone recessed the Jaffa Helmet back into its collar and with an almost gentle concern looked down at his fellow Wraith on the table.   
His clothes had been cut off him. His pale greenish blue skin still showed the signs of the results of the things the Techno-Vizier had preformed on him. He was covered in quickly healing cuts and abrasions and signs of where he had had objects injected into him.   
The Techno-Vizier had been very thorough in his examination, but he still hadn’t figured out how to get the goggles and head attachment off. The Warrior reached down and ripped some of the equipment and straps off the table to free him. The still cowering slaves were convinced to stay there by the Utas Child sitting on the Warriors shoulder snarling and snapping his teeth and claws at them. They were staying put.   
*Hurry Up! * The Female snapped impatiently from the side of the room. The Warrior helped the still unsteady Naked Male to his feet. The Warrior gave her a slow glance before he reached out with his large feeding hand and pressed it against the Males Chest. The Male jolted as the Warrior’s hand bite into him. Life flowed from the Warrior to the Male. The Male let out a long gasp as his system got the push it needed to bring him back up to speed. The Warrior withdrew his hand and the Him and the Male exchanged a silent look. * We must get back to My Hive so I can defeat these freaks! * The Female said via a telepathic flash at them. The Two other Wraith just exchanged another glance. *Yes, I would like to go home. * The Male replied. Regaining his bluer green and pale color he stood up, took a couple of wobbly steps then walked over to a computer terminal set into one of the lab’s wall.   
The Male stared at the screen for a few seconds, then fiddled with a few control nobs on his headpiece. His talons then started flying over the controls of the terminal. Images flashed across the screen, the security not letting him access any data, at first. A few more adjustments to the headpiece and another blur of movement across the terminal and details about the Mothership’s infrastructure began to flash across the screen.   
*You can work that thing? * The Female asked with a confused look on her face. *Uh? * The Male grunted. Realizing he had been asked a direct question he answered her. * Oh, uh, yes, it is a quite simple machine really. * He said distractedly while staring intently at the screen. *It appears to be operating on a very primitive Ancient dialect. * He told her while still messing with the system. *Does that mean you can understand it? * She asked again, clearly not understanding completely. *Yes, I have had a few chanced to interface with Ancient equipment over the eons, that and I am running a translation matrix thru my own system. * He further explained. The Female just nodded. *Plus, the creature clumsily trying to dissect me apparently loved the sound of his own voice and never stopped talking his abilities and the devices he was using. * The Male Added. *Does that mean you can understand it? * She asked again. The look on her face made it clear she was not understanding a lot of what he was saying most clear. *I am fairly sure I do. * He replied with a hint of hesitation. *The creature was also very inept at guarding its own thoughts and it let all kinds of things slip thru, like security passcodes. * He finished with and stepped back from the terminal.   
He turned and looked directly at the Warrior Drone for a few seconds. The Warrior Drone looked up and tilted his head a few times before looking down at the Male and nodding. *We should go, Now! * He said empathically. *Go?!” She asked excitedly. *Go where? We don’t know our way around this vessel! * She snarled at him. She stopped and a look of realization crossed her face. *Wait a minute, how did we find our way here, and how did the Warrior find me? * She asked as It suddenly dawned on her. Dawn apparently can rise terribly slow for some. *He followed the map. * The Male replied. He was lucky death rays couldn’t shoot out of the Female’s eyes. *Map? What Map!?* She psychically screamed at him. It nearly knocked him off his feet.   
The Slaves of the Techno-Vizier huddled in the corner watched this silent display going on in front of them. One turned to look at another with a questioning look. The only answer she got was a I dunno shrug of the shoulders.   
*Well?! * She snapped again. Steadying himself he gathered up his strength and courage to try and get thru this conversation as quickly as he could. *He used the map that was in the HUD of the Alien Helmet that he is wearing that I helped him to access. * He explained rapidly. One big benefit to telepathy is that one doesn’t have to stop to take breaths. Before she could ask another question, he started explaining again. * I was communicating with him via a signal device that is installed in his Warrior Mask that is linked to my Ear Piece, which we have been doing the entire time we have been on this alien vessel, and I was able to led him to you because I can sense your location via our telepathic abilities, and once he had rescued you I led him here to this lab, and now we need to escape back to our hive because I unleashed a computer virus into this vessels systems that are going to start playing havoc with its systems in just a few minutes, do you have any questions? * He finished.   
She looked at him, slowly started to raise her finger to pose another question but she stopped, thought about it. *Apparently you aren’t as useless as I thought. * She said. She took in his naked form a little closer. She slowly tilted her head to once side. *Yes, I think I will keep you after, so lets go. * She said and turned and walked out of the Lab. The Male looked down, not entirely sure what that last part meant. The Warrior shook his head and took the unas child by the hand and followed her. The Male grabbed the blanket and ran after them. The Slaves watched this, gave each other a certain look then also ran out of the lab and went in the other direction. From under the pile of debris, the hand of the Techno-Vizier slowly started to claw it way out.   
Stars sparkled in the darkness. One of the stars started to get closer. Light was returning to the world. Nef-er’et really hated being hit by a Zat Guns Stun Setting. She rolled over and pushed herself up to her knees. Taking a deep breath, she rose unsteadily to her feet. She looked around her, taking in the situation. She picked up a discarded zat off the floor. She strode into the inner chamber. She took in the devastation around her. She spotted the dried remains of her Goddess lying on the floor. She stared at it. Her Goddess was on the floor in front of her. Her Goddess was on the floor in front of her and dead. The Being that she had been trained for all most all her life to serve, to give herself body and soul to in total service to was dead at her feet. Her God is Dead! She did not know how she felt about that. She felt that she should be overwhelmed with grief, but that was not what she felt growing inside. All she was feeling was unfiltered hate!   
A growing Hate for the Creature that did this. Hatred for herself for not having killed the thing herself already! A Hate she so wanted to let loose right now. She spun and activated her zat’nik’tel! Something moved. She scanned the chamber with her eyes. She saw nothing but she could sense it. Something moved under a pile of debris. She slowly moved forward and nudged the small pile with her foot. What is That? It was almost a foot or so long, a dark ugly grey color. It quivered slightly. She slowly knelt to take a closer look. The Thing shot up off the floor at a blindingly fast speed. It shrieked! Nef-er’et screamed! She fell into another darkness, but this time there were no stars. 

To be Concluded…I hope.


	10. Stargate Atlantis : Wraith The Smallest Hive Pt 10

Wraiths  
The Smallest Hive  
Pt 10.

The Newest Captain of Erishkigal’s Mothership looked out the Command Bridge View Port at the Massive Alien Ship and the diminutive by comparison Goa’uld Ha’taks floating next to it. He breathed in equal amounts of Pride and Fear. Pride at being the one put in charge of one of the most massive and powerful Fleets of the System Lords. The Fear was him wondering how long he would survive to hold on to it. The way things were going in this new galaxy he wasn’t willing to place a bet on it, and he knew for a fact the lower ranks were placing bets on it. It was a bit of a tradition really.   
He looked over at the Monster Ship again. Ever since they had brought the trio of creatures over, they hadn’t had any more of their forces on it. Those that were there they had lost contact with and it was a safe bet on their status. The door that they had gained access thru had also revealed itself and they had not been ordered to try and break thru again. Now that he took a few seconds to think about it, there had been no word from their goddess in quite some time now, not that it was a horrible inconvenience to her absence. He shuddered to think what Horrors she was inflicting on the alien creature in her private chamber, but if it kept his goddess happy, long may she stay there and indulge herself.   
The Mothership suddenly jolted like an earthquake rolled across it! Gravity fluxes hit and the Jaffa found themselves floating a few inches above the floor before gravity kicked back in and they fell. The lights started blinking and the controls started going wild. Reports from the other parts of the ship started coming in, albeit slightly scrambled and filled with static! Whatever chaos was going on was seemingly affecting the entire Mothership!  
The Captain picked himself up off the floor and once again looked out at the Alien Vessel. He had a feeling in his stomach that a new set of betting would be taking place soon. Once again, he didn’t want to know what his chances on holding to his command, much less his life, he felt better not knowing.   
Down in the lower corridors of the Mothership, Chaos was breaking out! Jaffa Warriors, and All Levels of the Slave Classes were running up and down the halls in all directions. Running to try and stop, fix, and figure out what was going on and causing the damage breaking out all over the ship! Fires were being created by equipment exploding and energy shooting out from devices adding to the disaster!   
Lights all over the ship were going on and off, or staying off, or burning with near blinding brightness, and exploding! Gravity Control was also being affected! Sections of the ship either had No Gravity or literal Bone Crushing Gravity, it could go from one to the other in seconds! Doors on rooms and lifts were also acting erratically! Open and Closing at random, in some cases with Lethal Force! Worst of all were the Ring Transporters! Using them was a Nightmare in the Making! Personnel using them could find themselves in parts of the ship they did not intend to go to, which was the best-case scenario. The other scenarios were everything from those that stepped into the rings never rematerializing, or in the Worst-Case rematerializing in not the same form you started in. Some were reappearing missing limbs, and heads. Reports of Entire Squads of Jaffa being merged into large single organisms. Fortunately, they were Short Lived Organisms!   
So great was the confusion that 4 figures were able to move completely unnoticed by the near panicking servants of Erishkigal. The 3 Wraith and the Unas Child, wearing some of the flimsiest of disguises. The Warrior still in the ill-fitting and damaged Jaffa Armor. The Male, still technically naked except for his goggles, earpiece, and mechanical attachments on his hands and other parts of his body was still wrapped in the metallic blanket like a cloak. His bare feet slapped upon the metal floor as they ran but was very unnoticeable in all the chaos going on around them. The Female simply had a torn off piece of the blanket rapped around her head covering her face. The Unas Child simply ran next to the Warrior he was still manacled to. No one was paying any of them any attention at all! Everyone had far bigger problems to worry about.   
They ran into one of the avoided Ring Chambers. The Warrior stopped and closed the door by physically pulling them closed with his huge hands! The Male ran over to the pedestal and knelt to the small control panel in the base and began interfacing with the controls.   
The Warrior took up a guarding position next to the door, the Unas Child looked up at him and mimicked his stance next to him. The Female angrily ripped the blanket from around her face and began to pace around the room like a caged animal. *What are we doing here, what are you doing, hurry up! * She growled impatiently. The Male ignored her and kept doing what he was doing. The Unas looked up at the Warrior who simply shook his head in a manner that suggested he don’t think about it too deeply.   
She stomped over behind the Male and slapped him across the back of his head knocking him flat across the control panel. *Don’t You Ignore Me! * She snapped! *What are you doing? * She asked him. Pushing himself back up and rubbing the back of his head He went back to the panel. *Uh, ow, I, I am trying to get us off this ship. * He said quickly before she could hit him again. *Oh, really? * She said quizzically *Well hurry up and get on with it then! * She said and went back to pacing. No longer concerned with the matter.   
*Also, what is going on out there, what is making their hive go insane? * She asked, not really caring why but she did not loke feeling like she was the only one that didn’t know. * It is a computer virus. * The Male said without looking up from his task. The Female almost appeared to accept this answer as good enough before she let the thought roll around her head for a few minutes. * How did you make a virus that could do all this that fast? * She asked as the thought came to her.   
*I didn’t make it. It was made by that alien that was cutting me up. Like I said before, he didn’t guard his thoughts very well, and when I accessed his computer, I found it in a file called Fool Proof Escape Plan. * He informed her. She made a face that thought that that sounded kind of stupid. *Apparently, it was his plan if things ever went foul with the head alien, the virus was his key to getting away. It had a path of preprogramed safety that lead thru the chaos. I just followed it here. * He kept saying... * It’s not a particularly good virus either, it is full of holes…* He went on distractedly, getting more absorbed in his task again.   
The Male worked a few more seconds before standing up and running up onto the pedestal. He turned and looked at them. The Warrior and the child ran past the Female and joined him. The Female looked up at them with a confused look. * Its Ready HURRY!! * The Male exclaimed. She literally leaped from where she was standing up next to them. Barley a second passed before the Rings shot up from the pedestal around them. The Room filled with the sounds of the machines activating and they were engulfed by the light, then the Rings fell back down into the now empty room.   
Down in the large hangar bay of the Mothership, abord the same Tel’Tak that had brought them aboard, the Rings activated and delivered the Wraith onboard once more. The Warrior, Male and Unas quickly ran off the Ring pedestal and thru the doors that led to the Flight Cockpit. The Female once again the last to realize what was happening quickly chased after them. The Warrior sat in the Pilots Chair which groaned under his large frame, and He turned and looked at the Male. The Male’s hand went to his own devices and he appeared to be looking off into space when he was reading the information scrolling across his goggle lenses. A few seconds later, the Warrior in turn looked off into space for a few seconds before he looked down at the ship’s control panels and he slowly moved his hands across them.   
Up at the top of the Mothership’s Pyramid on the bridge. A flurry of lights ran across one of the ship’s computer terminals. The computer sent command signals out to the other Ships in the fleet and to the Mothership’s own hanger. The Captains of the Ha’taks were puzzled by what was going on with the Goddess’s own ship but none were brave enough to question orders of any kind that came from it. So, when the shields around the Mothership snapped off and a single Tel’Tak shot away and towards the Wraith Hive Ship, none of them did anything to stop it. Being left in the dark was not new occurrence to anyone no matter the Rank of any Jaffa.   
Back on the Hive, the Wraith raced thru the tunnels to get to the Control Deck. As they ran, they barely noticed that even more of the Hive was looking more and more like it should, and less and less like a decrepitated dead husk. The floor was covered in the cold mist and the walls were regaining their slimy countenance. It was starting to feel more like home.   
They ran into the room which was still in darkness. No power seemed to be connected to anything. The Male, now with the blanket tied more securely around his waist ran over and plunged his head into one of the conduits on a wall. The Warrior ran to the center of the room and stood behind a dais. He sunk his hands into two sockets on it. He let out a garbled roar. *I am working on it! * He said slightly muffled from inside the wall.   
*What is it, what is going on!? * The Female asked while stamping her foot on the floor. The Male popped out of the wall and ran to a console, and quickly started pushing buttons. All the panels dimly lit up, which was normal in the darkness the Wraith preferred to work in. *Power is restored! * The Male reported. The Hive rumbled and a loud groan echoed thru it. The lights shimmered. * I think, I hope. * He whispered. The Warrior twisted the controls sending the orders to activate the Hives engines and weapons. He also hoped as well.   
Down in the Dark Depths of the Hive, the Thing stirred. Long Black Legs twisted around it. Multiple eyes like crystals glowed colors of crimson and violet. Large Wing like shields shuttered. The Thing resettled itself into a large hole in the floor. Connections long severed reformed. The Crystal Eyes of the Thing Burned Brighter! The Thing could do what it was Created to do again! It happily gave into the primal like urges built into it. Create Power! More Power! Always More! Pull it in from unfathomable Depts! More! Always More! Never Enough! MORE! The Chamber became alive with Dancing Hellish Shadows as dark lights burned around the thing like Unholy Fire! MORE!!!!!!!!! The Hive moaned once more.   
Aboard the Mothership, the chaos still reigned supreme. They at least figured out that it was a computer virus that was doing all of this, but so far, they hadn’t figured out how to do anything about it. That whole not sharing knowledge thing sometimes really turned around and bit the Goa’uld in the tails but that is something they would not admit to.   
As the Command Crew ran around the bridge doing an admirable job of making it look like they were doing something they all failed to notice someone walk calmy in and sit upon the Throne. The Captain was on the verge of a panic attack when he turned and spotted the newcomer.   
“Nef-er’et what in the name of the god are you doing?” The Captain yelled. “How dare you sit upon the Throne of Erishkigal, and you dare profane by wearing her Crown!?” He nearly choked as he looked up at the Jaffa Prime. This was a level of blasphemy undreamed of!   
Nef-er’et merely tilted her head to one side and her eyes glowed white. The eyes of the Crown glowed red. All the color drained out of his face. Lasers shot out of the crown, missing the captain by the thinnest of widths and right into an interface on the command console.   
Suddenly the lights stopped flickering and all the ships systems went back to normal. All the Jaffa and Slaves on the Mothership dropped to their knees. Erishkigal glared down at her minions from her new host. “Status Report NOW!” Erishkigal bellowed using the full effect of the Voice Control Technique. The Captain crawled forward on all fours and quickly ran thru the events of the last hour or so. He finished and looked up at her. She looked down at him with eyes still aglow. “Where are the Creatures?” She asked. He just looked blankly back at her. What color in his face once again draining away? “I said where are the...” Erishkigal started to say but something on the view globe caught her attention. The Globe was still focused on the Hive which was now covered in lights and could be seen to literally shake. “Never mind.” She growled.   
Aboard the Hive the Warrior shoved forward on the control modules. The Hive’s engines quaked and lite up one at a time. The Hive shot forward clipping the edge of one of the nearby Ha’taks spinning it around like a toy. It was already a dot before anyone could blink.   
“After them you idiots!” Erishkigal barked. The Jaffa picked themselves up off the floor and ran to their posts. The Mothership’s engines activated their sub-light systems and took off with the Ha’taks falling in behind. The Al’Kesh and Death Gliders did their best to keep up. Hoping they could dock before getting left behind.   
*What are we doing? * The Female gasped. *Are we running? Why are we running? * She growled. *To get away? * The Male replied weakly. Her jaw dropped at this. * We don’t want to get away? * He questioned. *We are WRAITH, WRAITH DO NOT RUN AWAY! * She screamed telepathically almost making him lose his grip on the blanket. He needed to find some pants. *You, big one, turn us around and go back and destroy our enemies…NOW! * She commanded the Warrior.   
The Warrior replied with a long row of growls, and grunts. The Female turned and looked at the Male for a translation. The Male started to reply when the Female cut him off. *I swear that if you tell me he just said “No” …* She snarled at him. The Male thought very carefully on how to word his reply.   
*He said we can’t go back to destroy them because the weapons are not online yet because the systems are not healed yet. * He thought quickly. * He also says that the hyperspace functions are also not online yet so we can’t run..I mean esca..I mean uh. He says there is a power problem as well. * He finished with. He really hoped it would appease her. She stared at him for a few seconds then simply thought. *What kind of Power Problem? * She asked wanting to know. *There is Too Much Of iT! * He told her. That didn’t help her mood any.   
The Goa’uld Fleet was pushing itself to their limits in pursuit of the Wraith Hive Ship. The Hive was acting very oddly. It would be moving at speeds that would leave them in the cosmic dust only to then slow to an almost perceptible crawl. Their instrumentation was also showing massive bursts of power radiating from it as well. To the sensors it was like huge explosions were going off inside the craft but the fact that it hadn’t turned into an expanding ball of fire told them this was not the case. These sudden jumps in speed and the evasive maneuvers were the only thing keeping it out of acceptable firing range lock on.   
Erishkigal was barely paying any attention to this. Practically none other than to yell out the occasional Faster You, Idiots, Morons, or Imbeciles. Which ever came to mind first. She was too busy in settling into her current host body. The Body of Her Jaffa Prime. Nef-er’et. Her body was not to the liking of Erishkigal at all. It was far to hard and practical. Not to say that Nef-er’et was not an attractive human female, it was just not the type of beauty She preferred. She much preferred the more soft and sensual kind of host. It was much more impressive when she snapped someone’s neck with her bare hands. Nef-er’et already looked capable of doing that. She did love her theatrics.   
“Faster You Cretins, Faster!” She yelled. “Yes, My Goddess!” The Captain replied. Yes, this body is not to her liking, but beggars can’t be choosers as the saying goes. After her brush with death when that She-Beast broke free and, did what ever it did to her previous host she had barely separated herself in time. She could feel the very life being ripped away from the host and its claws reaching for her before she broke free and slithered away. It was an unsettling shock for a Goa’uld when they left a host that fast. To go from having a Sentient Mind with Feelings, Emotions, and Intelligence to the cold reptilian mind of their real self’s. A very odd feeling to have all that knowledge and Sensation but be trapped in the primitive instinctive mindset of a mud crawling thing! Being only capable of the thought of basic Survival! Evade the Enemy or Snare a new victim. That was all. Plus, there was the transitional period of the Goa’uld repressing and learning to operate its now self. A short time where the emotions and personalities of the two beings all but merged or fought for control of the body. Before the inevitable happened and the Reptile pushed the Primate down into the waking dreamlike death of the host. It had been a long, long time since Erishkigal had had as strong a mind to contend with as her Jaffa Prime. For all intents and purposes, it is exactly like trying to break in an unruly riding beast. Nef-er’et is a Strong Beast indeed!  
“Steady yourself my Prime. Steady.” Erishkigal said as she leaned back on her throne and closed her eyes. Concentrating on taking control. “I promise you, I will return your body to you, once this task is done, you have the Word of Erishkigal on that.” She smiled at that one. Even She had trouble believing that. “Oh, steady my Prime, but not calm.” She purred. “Do not tame that Hate I feel with in you, it is intoxicating!” She sighed. “Your hate I can use, yes, your hate is My Hate!” Erishkigal let the burning emotion fill her. “Yes, My Prime, your hate is my hate, we shall get our revenge TOGETHER!” Her eyes glowed.   
The Hive shook with bone jarring intensity at both the sharp turns the Warrior was steering it thru, and the power surges ripping thru its ancient frame. It was hard to guess which would tear it apart first! The Warrior Drone could feel the energy like fingers of the enemy craft trying to get a target lock on them thru the Hive’s sensitive hull. It felt like a cold knife being softly drawn down his back. It tickled. The Unas Child sitting on his wide shoulder stared in awe at the Warrior and his new surroundings. He liked this place Much better then his last home.   
*What do you mean too much power, I seen no problems, everything looks like it is working now. * The Female sent to the Male. * I am starting to think the problem is that you don’t really know what you are doing. * She sent to him with a nasty smirk on her cruel face. The Male swallowed dryly and did his best not to look at her directly and kept his attention squarely on the control panels he kept running back and forth between. That and he wished the knot on his blanket would stay tied. This was all way out of his level rank.   
*It really all should be working! * He replied to her weakly. * It, it is as if there is a new power source connected to everything, and it is far more powerful then our normal power plants. * He said in a mental mumble. * It is also extremely unstable, and it keeps making more, and more * He said in a near state of panic while running to another panel. The Hive quacked again. So hard this time it knocked the Female and Male off their feet, the Male sent flying to land on the Female and they both rolled across the floor wrapped up in the blanket.   
The Warrior managed to stay on his feet duly owed to his hold on the Hive’s interface helm. The Unas Child had a death grip on the Warrior’s shoulder armor. He was having a fun time! The Warrior let out a long row of growls and snarls. From within the blanket The Female asked what he said while trying to detach herself from the blanket and the Male.   
*He said the propulsion and maneuvering systems just went offline again! * He said as he managed to get a foot free. The Warrior let out a Wall Shaking Roar! The Unas Child near fell off! * And the Weapons just came ONLINE! * He added.   
“My Goddess!” The Jaffa Captain shouted out. “The Alien Vessel’s engines just cut out, they are now drifting, we are now with in Positive Firing Range!” He told her happily! “Target the Engines Only! “She ordered harshly. “I only want it disabled as little as possible and I want those Creatures Taken ALIVE or I Swear I will make you all Beg Me to cast you into the Unholiest of Fires for the Mercy it will bring you!” She finished in her most Unhappy God Voice. The Jaffa Captain saluted her, and the Jaffa Gunners gave each other extremely nervous looks before giving all their attention to the targeting systems. This order was sent to all the Fleet and the ships took up positions to begin firing and prevent the Hive from Escaping again.   
Without any warning massive orbs of burning energy shot out from the Hive appearing to be almost fired at random and blindly. The Mothership and 2 of the Ha’taks took direct or glancing blows! The Bright Orbs, instead of dissipating seemed to cling to their shields and BURN like a star! The Ha’taks shields flared like lightning storms but the shields held, for now! On board the Goa’uld ships all those not seated or with a firm grip on something were tossed around like grains of sand in a fierce wind! Erishkigal was only saved from being thrown from her throne by the added strength of Nef-er’et’s well-muscled body.   
Suddenly the Hive stopped firing, and its engines suddenly fired up. The Hive twisted sharply! It was now pointed directly at the Ha’tak it had sideswiped on its first escape run. A few of its engines sputtered out and it fired its forward guns again. The Hive unleased a barrage of burning energy at the ship. Its shields flared and the ship visibly quacked before it Exploded in a ball of orange fire! It was like a massive animal turned on its smaller hunters and took out the weakest among them! The Hive shot forward and away!   
“AFTER THEM YOU FOOLS!” Erishkigal screamed at the Jaffa. They all made to obey her even as the debris from the destroyed Ha’tak slammed into their shields.   
Her greed grew at the thought of making that ship hers and the horrible things she would do to the creatures.   
*What just happened? * The Female asked out loud as she finally managed to free herself from the blanket and the Male, who she turned and gave a swift kick to before she ran over to stand by the Warrior. He bellowed and roared. The Female snarled and gave the Hive’s ceiling a dirty look before she turned and glared at the still blanket entangled Male. * He says we just destroyed one of the enemy vessels! * He said also replying out loud. * Good, now Destroy them ALL! * She yelled while literally jumping up and down with venomous glee! The Utas Child jumped up and down on the Warriors shoulder. He agreed with this idea! The Male used his claws to rip a hole in the blanket to pop his head thru and stood up, now wearing the blanket like a dilapidated toga. * No, DON’T! * He shouted. *I COMMAND YOU TO DESTROY THEM! * The Female screamed and shot her clawed hand out and pointed at the Warrior! She hit him with all the power she could put into the psychic attack. The Warrior just turned his massive, masked head and gave her a blank stare. She nearly lost her footing as she put her hands on her knees to steady herself. The Hive suddenly started to shake again, but this time it was almost unnoticeable compared to the early shaking. The Warrior roared and growled again. Cutting off The Female’s question The Male told. * They are firing at us and targeting our engines! * He said and the Female started to open her mouth when he cut her off again. * He also says the Hive’s engines and weapons keep going on and offline, which is making it exceedingly difficult to fire and maneuver! * He told her. The Female let out a long string of very nasty Wraith Curses. The Male walked over and stuck his fingers in the Unas Childs ears.   
“Keep Firing You Fools; I want that Ship NOW!” Erishkigal bellowed at her crew. The Goa’uld vessels fired away at the rear of the monstrous Hive but its attack looked comically unimpressive when compared to the Hive’s attack on them. During the Turmoil, the Techno-Vizier slid into the room like a shadow to stand behind the Throne. “You had better have something useful to tell me.” Erishkigal said with out turning to look at him. The Implied Threat in her voice was most noticeable. The Techno-Vizier took a deep breath and used his most Toady of voices. “Oh, but I do my most beneficial of benefactors, I indeed do.” He said smarmily. She turned and glared at him. He hoped she didn’t notice his knees shaking, but he doubted it. “I have learned a few things. “He said slowly. “The First is that I have been informed that your original host body has just been removed from the Sarcophagus, but sadly, whatever the Alien did to it, it is beyond its recuperative abilities.” He said. Erishkigal grind her teeth together at this. That was her favorite host body! Damn those creatures! “I have also learned thru my examination of the beast you so graciously gave to me that, if these beasts can be made into viable hosts, we would all but never have need of a Sarcophagus again.” He said with a vile smile.   
She turned and looked at him. “Is that so?” She asked. He simply smiled back and nodded. She turned back and looked at the Hive still being fired upon. The Smile that crossed the Face of Nef-er’et mixed with the Aura of Erishkigal held horrible thoughts indeed. She smiled. “Oh, and my Dear Techno-Vizier. “She said. “Yes, Your Maleficent Majesty?” He asked. “Your Computer Virus needs work.” She said. He gave a polite laugh and quickly bowed while backing out of the room. 

Warning Howls echoed thru the Hive. It was now shaking due to the Goa’uld Bombardment and the unstable power fluxes had started up again! The Hives systems were raging almost out of control! The Hive was healing and tearing itself apart at the same time! *SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING! * The Female yelled as she danced around trying to remain on her feet. The Male had grabbed one of the legs of the Warrior Drone like it was a tree and he was caught in a hurricane. *I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO! * The Male yelled back totally helpless. The Warrior fought like mad with the Control Helm, trying to get it to do anything! The Unas Child held on tight and thought the bouncing around was still some of the most fun he had ever had.   
Down in the Special Chamber the shaking increased. The Thing still created power as fast as it could. It was Glowing like an Out-of-Control Furnace! Still, it craved More! Suddenly it was shaken loose from its socket. Its large Black Legs scrambled to find purchase and replant itself. It clawed like a mad beast to get back in its place!   
The Warrior let out a Mighty Roar as the Hive suddenly came under control! He shoved the Control Helm forward! The Hive activated all its engines and weapons! It had to get rid of the excess energy! Its weapons fired in all directions as it shot forward like a freed animal escaping its cage! A score of circling Death Gliders were Vaporized and a few Al’Kesh went up in fire balls. The 2 remaining Ha’taks shields flared, as did the Mothership. This deterred them only for a few seconds before they once more took chase.   
Suddenly two of the Hives starboard engines and all its rear facing weapons exploded! The uneven thrust cause the Hive to lilt to one side like a Wraith who had over fed. Taking full advantage of this The Goa’uld flew into a tighter group directly behind the Hive and continued to attack! 

*I think it would be prudent if we tired to ESCAPE NOW! * The Male said still holding onto the Warriors Leg. The Female said nothing but did reluctantly shake her head in agreement. The Hive was shaking so bad now she had fallen to the floor and dug her claws in to keep from sliding around. The Warrior was silent also. He was too busy fighting to get the Hive under any semblance of control. Suddenly his whole body went rigid. His arms and legs Bulged with the strain he put into fighting the Hive. It shook even more. The Female, Male, and Child took a stronger grip on whatever they could.   
The Hive had visibly slowed. “We have them NOW!” Erishkigal roared triumphantly! The Mothership and Ha’taks closed in and kept firing. Suddenly the Hive spun around on its axis and was now pointing directly at the Goa’uld ships! The Hive opened fire as the enemy’s own weapons impacted against the face of the Hive. The Goa’uld ships took a dozen hits before they all shot off in different directions to avoid the attack.   
The Hive fired its remaining engines to full and raced forward thru the scattered Goa’uld like a drunken mountain! The Warrior looked down at the helm’s panel. Like everything else on the hive, the Hyperdrive Systems were also not working,   
or he would have jumped from here the instant he got his claws on the controls, but the little blinking green light on the panel continued to blink unready, but it was slowing down, he just needed a few more minutes, or a big distraction. He read the information scrolling down the main screen. He just found one. A big one!

“What are those fools doing!?” Erishkigal screamed. Although it was obvious what the fools were doing, she just couldn’t believe they were That Big a pack of Fools. They were diving towards a Massive Gas Giant Planet! “They are div..” The Captain began to tell her. “SHUT UP YOU FOOL AND AFTER THEM!” She screamed back at him. The Goa’uld ships continued the chase. 

The Giant Gas Planet that hung in space was a massive swirling gray and blue collection of storms that were the size of a dozen planets. Lightening danced across the seas of volatile gas and substances erupting into continent sized fire storms of brief flashes of indiscernible colors and light! The Hive dived straight into this cosmic tempest. It looked like a minnow falling into an ocean.   
Passing down thru the clouds, horrendous flares of static electricity danced and burned across its already battle-scarred hide. Deeper it dived.   
Inside the Hive’ everything was shaking and every alarm and warning howl was screaming out! *What are you doing? * The Female yelled from her precarious position on the floor at the Warrior. He ignored her and concentrated fully on what he was doing. *What is he doing?! * She yelled at the Male. The Male just hung on to the Warrior’s leg with all his might and did his best to ignore her too.   
*What are those Fools Doing!?” Erishkigal screamed. The Exact same damn fool thing we are doing the Captain almost answered but wisely kept that to himself as   
“What are those Fools Doing?!” Erishkigal screamed again. The Same Damn Fool thing we are doing the Captain thought but wisely kept it to himself. They followed the Hive into the Storm Planet. The Mothership and Ha’taks shields glowed and flared as they were pummeled under the increasing pressure of the atmosphere and energy discharges, but still they followed. 

The Hull of the Hive was being burned, crushed all the while it was healing its surface due to the massive power flowing thru it. The Pressure was doubling and tripling every few seconds but still The Warrior dove the Hive deeper. He looked at the Display Screen and noticed that the Goa’uld Ships were riding in their wake which was making it slightly easier for them. He would have to do something about that.   
The Mothership and 3 remaining Ha’taks kept firing at the Hive but less then have of their salvos were hitting it. Most were impacting on dense gas and matter in the clouds or the electrical discharges. All 4 were taking serious damage but Erishkigal refused to give up now. She was too close to be getting both her prize and her revenge! She would not give up now!   
Suddenly half of the Hive’s remaining engines suddenly flared and died, and half its forward thrusters on the front roared into life, the Hive started to spin, the friction of hitting the thickening atmosphere helped. A quarter thru the spin all its engines and thrusters fired to slow it down. The Hive let lose with all its forward guns and the Goa’uld Ships faced a new storm! One Ha’tak exploded almost instantly! Another’s shields started to fail, and it lost control and spun off into a storm where it burst into flames and disappeared in an Inferno a thousand times it size. The last Ha’tak only managed to survive because it “accidently” fell behind the Mothership! The Mothership itself was barely hanging on to its own shields. The had cut out and the ship had lost a couple of its spider leg like extensions. The Hive spun full around and once again continued its dive into the planet. 

The Warrior Let out a Loud Roar of what sounded like pure joy! *What did he say?! * The Female yelled! The Male looked up. He noticed that the little green light that had been blinking was now very solid and bright! The Warrior sent the signal. The light grew even brighter! The Male just whimpered and buried his head as deep as he could into the floor. The Female couldn’t be sure but even from behind his goggles she got the distinct impression he just closed his eyes. She followed his example. The Unas Child roared in excitement with the Warrior! FUN!!!!!!!

“My Goddess they are Slowing! “Yelled the Captain. Erishkigal saw this and smiled and clenched the strong fist of Nef-er’et’s. They are HERS! She thought triumphantly! That feeling went away as quickly as it came. Suddenly the Hive ship’s nose shot upward until the Hive filled almost the entire view globe and it seemed to come to a Dead Stop and they Rushed full speed at it! Erishkigal’s face went white. She screamed out orders to turn, to stop, to do ANYTHING! The Bridge Crew scrambled like mad but there was nothing they could do to avoid a collision at this speed! At what seemed the last second the Hive shot forward and out of their way! Erishkigal almost smiled with relief, but then she spotted what the Hive hide from view!   
The Wraith had opened a Hyperspace Tunnel! Doing so in a habitable Atmosphere is a risky maneuver at best, but in a Hell Storm as the Gas Giant…Pure Suicide! A Suicide the two Goa’uld Ships could not avoid!   
The Hyperspace Tunnel sucked in the gasses and energy of the planet. It all flowed in, erupting the Tunnel into a Swirling Vortex of Fire and Lightening! A Vortex Erishkigal and her Ships flew straight into! The Violence raged around her Mothership! The Smaller Ha’tak stood no chance and was gripped by the rage and flung into the tunnel wall and Exploded! Only adding to the hell of the Vortex! Fire and Lightening Ravaged the Hull of Erishkigal’s Mothership! The Hell was reflected from the View Globe on the Her own Face! The Hyperspace Tunnel Collapsed behind her as she continued her way to its end, maybe a true Hell itself?! Either way. The Goddess of Darkness would find out! 

Out of the Raging Storms of the Surface of the Gas Giant, The Hive shot out resembling one of its own Plasma Shots! The Fires were soon extinguished by the vacuum of space. The Hive’s hull now blackened and charred from its descent and ascent! It was leaving a trail of ash, and smoke in its wake as it flew thru space! 

*I did it! I defeated them! * She proclaimed! The Male sat up from the floor and just stared blankly at her from behind his goggles. The Warrior and Child were no where to be seen. *Now we can repair My Hive and go out and Conquer the Galaxy and…* She started to say before the Hive started shaking again. Explosions could be heard from somewhere in the depths of the Hive. Neither they nor the Shaking showed any signs of stopping! The Male jumped up and ran to the nearest panel. Looked at its displays, then He ran to another, then another. He stopped and gave the Female a sick look. Now What She thought with an ill look of her own.   
A few minutes later down in one of the Hive’s Cavernous Hangar Bays, the Female ran out to a large empty platform. She now had two stunner pistols on each hip, and a bulging backpack on her shoulders. She looked around but was not seeing what she was looking for. A few seconds later the Male ran out to stand next to her. He was now attired in a pair of knee-high boots with pants and long jacket all in the fine leather like material the Wraith preferred. He had a Stunner Rifle and a satchel. It was full of equipment as well as were his coat pockets.   
The Female looked him over. * A Bit out of your Rank isn’t it? * She asked with a sneering smile on her face. *it was all I could find! * The Male told her sheepishly.  
She hissed and looked around her. The Explosions and shaking were still going on and Getting Worse! The Hive was dying!   
*Where are all the Ships!? * She asked frantically! *All the hyperspace capable ships are gone, even most of the fighter craft as well! * He said just as frantically!  
*RRAAHH, It’s Not Fair, Not Fair!! * The Female raged while stamping her booted feet on the hangar deck. The Male just clumsily hugged his rifle and satchel but wisely kept his comments to himself. Suddenly a strong wind caught and started pulling at their clothes and hair! Hull integrity was being lost! The Vacuum of Space was going to tear them out! The Female Raged impotently, while the Male just calmy accepted his fate. He at least hoped it would be quiet wherever he wound up, and preferably lonely.   
Suddenly a loud drilling noise filled the hangar bay! A Wraith Dart flew over head and caught both the Female and Male up in its matter beam before either could tell what had happened. The Dart then flew out other giant hangar bay and out into Open Space!  
Behind them the Hive Ship finally gave in. Massive Canyon sized cracks rippled across its hull!! Flames and atmosphere ripped out from them! In the Silence of Space, the Ancient Vessel literally broke up into tower sized chunks! Debris and refuse circled around it like rings! A miniature asteroid field had just been created.   
In one of the tower sized shards. The Thing knocked loose from its socket pulled itself into a dark corner and secured itself as best it could. It went back to sleep, its lights and fire dying. The Pitch Black returned to the chamber. It would wait. It would rest. It would wait until it could do what it was made to do, again. 

Some where else on the Edge of the Galaxy. Another large fleet of Goa’uld ships drifted in orbit around a dead moon. In the center of it was another Mothership, identical to Erishkigal’s. Down on the Moon in a large ring of Pyramid Structures, standing on a balcony looking out over the dead surface under a protective shield dome stood the owner of that Mother ship. Gunn. African God of Iron and War. He stood there. Dressed in simple Leather pants and jacket just as dark as his ebony skin.   
Into the room marched two Jaffa Warriors. Their Helmets resembling the head of a Rhinoceros. Gunn turned with arms folded behind his back and faced them. With an almost imperceptible nod of his head, this was all the signal the Jaffa Prime needed to give his report.   
“There is still no word from the Goddess Erishkigal My Lord.” He informed Gunn. Gunn stood as still as a statue. “We have contacted the rest of Her Fleet and they have also not had any contact from her in some time and they have been instructed to continue the search for one of this galaxies Chappa’ai. “He said. Still no response from Gunn.   
“We have sent a small Ha’taks with 3 squadrons of your Imperial Guard to remind them of their Loyalty to our Great Mission.” The 2nd Jaffa Warrior Added.   
Without a word Gunn simply turned and continued to look out from the balcony. The 2 Jaffa rose, turned, and marched out of the room. Gunn was not the kind of Goa’uld to waste any effort on pleasantries or useless protocol.   
He stared down at a large sunken auditorium built into the grounds between the pyramids. In the depression stood row upon row of Armored Kull Warriors. Hundreds if not Thousands stood at attention as still as the rock they stood upon, and all the time more marched into join them.   
The Loss of Erishkigal was a mere setback at most. At least as far as Gunn was concerned. It simply meant that this new Galaxy would be divided up only 2 ways now. A small grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “We all have our appointed tasks to occupy us.” He said in a voice like thunder as he stared down at the Kull Warriors and their ever-growing numbers. His eyes glowed, fueled by the greed that grew inside him.   
Alone. Alone and in the Dark it flew. On the Far edge of the Pegasus Galaxy the Wraith Dart Flew back light eerily from the green glow of the vast sea of stars of the galaxy, and on the other the black eternity of the void that separated the galaxies.  
Inside the Darts Matter Storage Chamber, in the formless oblivion, the Male and the Female Wraith waited for the time, if ever, they would be freed back into the real world. Inside the Darts Cockpit, the Large Wraith Warrior Drone piloted them towards some unknown location that only He knew. Silently hoping that they could reach it before the Dart exhausted its fuel. His Marked Mask slowly tilted down and looked at the small Unas Child lying in between his feet. It breathed slowly and faintly. He had slipped into a type of hibernation his kind was capable of. The Warrior looked back at the Dart’s screen as it feed him all the information it could about the path they were on. He cut off as much of its systems as he could, to preserve as much of its precious power he could. They would need ever iota. The cockpit slowly filled with darkness. The Temperature all so dropped, until only the faint glows from the overhead canopy screen and the faint glowing mark on His Mask were the only sources of light.   
Out of that darkness rumpled a sound. One word. Slightly Muffled from behind a mask.   
*PRO-TECT. * The Wraith Warrior Drone growled.  
On thru the endless star filled eternity of the universe, the smallest Hive flew on its lonely Journey.   
The End?


	11. Stargate Atlantis : Wraith The Smallest Hive Epilogue

Wraiths  
The Smallest Hive  
Epilogue.

A small dot could be seen zooming its way into the Pegasus Galaxy. A Lone Al’Kesh was finding its way in a strange place. Aboard the Vessel were several (former) Human Slaves of the Goddess Erishkigal. They had managed to, erm, Appropriate the craft during the chaos the Techno-Vizier’s computer virus had unleashed on the Mothership.   
“Boy, it sure is lucky you figured out how to fly this thing!” One Slave said to the other piloting the ship. “Luck Nothing!” She said with pride in her voice. “I stole a flight manual from one of the Jaffa when I was cleaning their quarters. “She informed him.   
“Hey, you’re just a Custodial Slave, you are Not Supposed to be able to Read!” Moaned one of the Technician Slaves who had been eavesdropping by the cockpit door. “Well, I can, and you can thank my grandparents who taught me how in secret! “She snapped at him.   
“Yeah, cause if she hadn’t, she couldn’t have flown us all off the ship before it went down the drain hole!” The Pilot’s friend chipped in.   
“I am not complaining about that I am just saying it isn’t proper for Slaves of your Low Standing to be able to do such things. “The Technician Slave whined.   
“If you want to back and complain to who ever is still alive enough to care, I will be more than happy to stop the ship, open the airlock and let you SWIM BACK!” She snapped at him. Her friend nodded vigorously in support of this comment.   
The Technician Slave looked worriedly back and forth between the two Low Class Slave and swallowed deeply. “Ha-ha. Hey I was ju, just kidding!” He smiled weakly while starting to wilt under the nasty looks, he was getting. “We are all one big family of Free Slav... uh, I mean HUMANS now!” He whimpered. “Please don’t kick me off the ship!” He begged.   
The Pilot and her friend just smiled and continued to fly towards that freedom.   
The End.


End file.
